Second Chances
by ShigeSato
Summary: It's eighth year of Hogwarts and Hermione is one of those returning to finish school. She feels that the treatment of the eighth-year Slytherins by the rest of the school is pretty despicable, so she invites them to a party being thrown at Gryffindor. The result is surprising to everyone, and leads to romance, friendships and new beginnings. HGxDM/HGxTN/BZxGW/HPxDM/GGxMB/NLxSF.
1. Chapter 1

"Ginny, for the last time, _no!_ " Hermione insisted, raising her eyebrow at her ginger-haired friend as she buttered her croissant crisply.

"Come on, not even a little?" Ginny asked mischeviously. "You can't tell me that you don't think he's even a tiny bit sexy?"

"Not even a little," Hermione affirmed, mouth now full of pastry. "Let's just say he's not my type."

"Oh, and what's your type then?" Ginny retorted, her mouth twitching upwards. "Because it seems to me that, besides my brother, which – just eugh – you haven't really thought of _anyone_ like that."

"That's not true!" Hermione protested. "There was Viktor."

"Oh, come on, anyone with eyes could see Viktor was attractive," the ginger girl replied, taking a sip from her orange juice. "And you didn't really like him that much anyway, you told me so. I mean like a proper crush."

Hermione shrugged. "I guess I just never had time for it. There are more important things, like-"

"- like NEWTs and Ministry applications. I know," Ginny teased gently.

"More important than what?" a voice sounded behind them, as Neville slid into a chair beside Hermione and took a doughnut from the pile.

"Than boys," Ginny said, and Neville laughed. "Hermione has her priorities straight, I'd say."

"You're both no fun at all," she proclaimed, then stood up, and her plate magically cleared. "I've got to go to Quidditch practice, anyway. We've got our first match this weekend against Hufflepuff and they've really stepped up their game this year."

"Hannah is sure they're going to beat you," Neville supplied. "You'd better watch out, I think they have your number."

"No way," Ginny announced. "And you're both coming to the game to support me, right?"

"Of course," they said in unison, knowing it was best not to argue when it came to Quidditch.

After the fiery-haired girl's departure, Neville turned and smiled at Hermione. "Was she going on about you-know-who again?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," she said, smiling. "Anyone would think he was some sort of Adonis, hand-crafted by the gods. I just don't see it."

Neville spared a glance at the subject of their conversation, presently surrounded by women at the Slytherin table. "You know, I think you're probably the only one who doesn't."

"Why, do you like him too?" Hermione asked with a brow raised.

"I mean…" Neville blushed a little. "I don't know about _like,_ especially, certainly not as much as Ginny does, but he's definitely attractive."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Like I said to Ginny, maybe he's just not my type."

Neville put his elbow on the table and propped up his chin with his hand. "So who _do_ you think is attractive? Come on, there has to be someone in this room. I won't judge."

"Are we really doing this?" Hermione asked defeatedly. Then she sighed and cast her gaze around. It passed over the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, and stopped for a moment on Anthony Goldstein of Ravenclaw, but then began to rove again, over towards the Slytherins. There was no denying that most of the best-looking guys in the school were in that house. She'd never really taken the time to look, though, given that almost all of them were self-involved pricks or outright bullies. Her eyes moved along the rows of seats one by one, passing over Ginny's crush, looking for anyone that Neville would accept as a real answer.

There was no-one that sparked her interest. Sure, there were good-looking guys at the table, but she needed more than that. She needed passion and knowledge and confidence and, most importantly, someone who could keep up with her. That was what she'd been lacking with Ron. She decided to take a pot shot and hope that Neville would bite.

"Goldstein," she said, hoping it didn't sound too fake, and Neville burst out laughing.

"Nice try. No way you find Goldstein attractive, you told me the other week at the party that you thought he had a huge forehead," her fellow Gryffindor admonished. Hermione sighed, putting her forehead against the table. Why she had been so forthright in her opinions? Why had she let them feed her that much Firewhisky that night? "Next," Neville said. "Come on, there has to be at least one guy here that you think has sex appeal."

"You," Hermione said, trying to catch him off-guard. "It's always been you, Neville. I can't hide it any longer. And I know it'll never happen, so please stop asking me about it?"

She should have known he wasn't buying that. "Yeah, as if you even noticed I was a guy," he said with a chuckle. "Just 'cause I'm out of the closet now doesn't mean you can say it's me and get a free pass. All I'm asking for is a name. Come on. One name. A real one."

Hermione lifted her gaze reluctantly to the expanse of the Great Hall again, and a flash of movement caught her eye. Someone was hurrying in, obviously late for breakfast, tucking in his shirt and straightening his tie as he nervously checked the clock behind the teachers' table. It was a Slytherin, Theo Nott. He wasn't someone she'd ever taken much notice of before now, but admittedly, a large part of that was because he had never been nasty to her. He was in with Malfoy's crowd, that much she knew, and his father was a Death Eater, so she'd never had much of a reason to speak to him. As he crossed the Hall quickly and sat down next to his friends, she took in his lithe form, dark, ruffled hair that swished over his forehead, and his aristocratic face.

"Theo Nott's not all that bad," she said, finding she actually meant it.

Neville followed her gaze. "Yeah, actually. He's grown into himself a lot. I can see it. Alright, there you go, you're free. Was that so hard in the end?"

"Yes," Hermione muttered, packing up her timetable and putting it into her bag. "Are you coming with me to Potions?"

"I don't take Potions," Neville reminded her, picking up his bag and following her out of the Hall. "You know that."

She did know that, of course she did. "Oh, of course, sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know why I said that, really."

"I do," Neville smirked. "Thinking about Theo still, were you?"

Hermione hit him with her bag, and he laughed, heading out of the entrance hall doors towards the greenhouses. "See you later, Hermione. Try not to get too distracted!"

Irritated, Hermione began her journey to the dungeons. She loved her friends but honestly, there were more important things to be worrying about than sex and relationships. They were in their last year of school, and already delayed by a year because of the war. She hated to think about the war, because it reminded her of everyone they'd lost. There were still harsh reminders everywhere, in the way other houses treated the Slytherins, in the chipped walls and broken statues that still littered Hogwarts, in the way Ginny's smile dropped whenever she thought nobody was looking. It had been hard, coming back here after everything – especially without Harry and Ron, who had decided to pursue careers as Aurors without their NEWTs – but if nothing else, Hermione Granger was all about education, and she would never have forgiven herself for not completing hers.

She supposed she could forgive her friends their frivolity. They were only trying to find ways to move on, the same way she was coping by burying herself in work. Perhaps a little lightness and laughter was what was needed right now, for all of them. She knew Ginny was trying to get over Harry, as well, since the two of them had parted ways before she came back to school. In some strange way, her friend's overwhelming crush being on a Slytherin was at least promoting some odd kind of house unity – if she ever actually spoke to him, that was.

She wondered what that would be like. She, like everyone else, had given the Slytherins a wide berth upon returning to school. For most, it was because of old prejudices and blame culture from the war. For Hermione, though, all that should be water under the bridge. Those who deserved to be punished – mostly their parents – had been punished by the law, and those who didn't deserve to be punished were back at school, here with them, and had chosen to finish their education just as she had. She was intelligent enough to understand that not everything was black and white, and it must not have been easy for them to live through what they had witnessed either.

No, Hermione's avoidance of the Slytherins was more to do with wariness. Though she didn't blame them for the war, and didn't want to see it as 'sides' anymore, she had no idea how they felt, and it could be that they were still the same bastions of prejudice and snobbery they had always been – likely, in fact. She saw little point in trying to befriend people who likely wouldn't want to know her, so she kept to herself as she always had, and tried not to get in their way. For their part, they stuck closely together and seemed to be outwardly unaffected by the obvious hatred they were receiving, though she knew appearances couldn't always be trusted.

She reached the door of the Potions classroom and entered, sitting at her usual desk. The rest of the class filed in slowly behind her, chattering away to each other. All the classes for the 'eighth-years' this year were mixed-house, due to the low number of people who had returned to school, so it was the same group of people she had most of her classes with.

Normally, she sat alone, since she was the only Gryffindor taking Potions. Today, though, she felt someone sit next to her, and turned in surprise to see Ginny's crush sitting beside her and taking out his books, his dark face flushed. He looked at her apologetically.

"Sorry," he said his voice very slightly accented, "but there's a pile of ingredients where I normally sit. I didn't want to move them in case they were important for some other class. Hope this is okay."

"Sure, Blaise, no problem," Hermione replied in a friendly tone, and the Italian looked surprised, but grateful nonetheless, and nodded at her as he finished taking out his study materials. She wasn't sure what to make of it, as there were a number of empty tables in the room. Maybe he was trying to reach out – or maybe this was just an exceedingly elaborate prank. She wasn't sure which, but either way she was determined not to look like a fool, and kept a close eye on him.

He was actually quite a nice table companion, though, throughout the lesson, sitting quietly and taking notes, not interrupting her to ask what was going on like Harry and Ron used to do, or throwing paper planes at his Slytherin friends across the room as she'd half-expected he would. Instead, he was diligent and didn't disturb her once, and during the practical portion, he kept himself to himself, worked hard and quietly, and didn't even attempt to mess with her ingredients. All in all, he was probably the best table companion she'd ever actually had.

After the lesson, as they were packing up, he thanked Hermione quietly for sharing her table and got up, ready to go back to his friends. "Hey, Blaise," she said, shocked even as the words came out of her mouth. He turned to look at her inquisitively. Before she knew what she was saying, she'd gabbled out, "Some of us are having a party in the Room of Requirement Saturday night. After the Quidditch game. If you want to come, you're welcome to."

She didn't know what had made her say it. He hadn't acted as she expected of him during the lesson, so perhaps all her perceptions of the Slytherins were off – especially those she'd never actually interacted with before. There had to be a reason he had picked her table. If he was trying to reach out somehow, in some subtle way without showing his hand in case it failed, then she wanted to take the hint. She wanted to give the Slytherins a chance, because if Hermione Granger couldn't, who could? If he came to the party, and actually got to know her group of friends, well maybe he wouldn't have to feel so hated anymore.

Blaise looked shocked at her invitation. "I mean – really? A Slytherin? Are you sure I'd be welcome?"

Hermione shrugged. "I'll say you're with me." She didn't know how much more she should say.

Blaise began to take steps towards the exit of the classroom, and she followed, dropping into step beside him. He looked confused. "Why the invite? We don't know each other. What's prompted it?" Typical of a Slytherin, she thought, to be so suspicious, but at least he was actually talking to her.

She decided to barrel on down the honesty route. It had always served her well in the past. "Honestly? I think it sucks how the other houses treat you all, and maybe spending some time hanging out with us is a step towards fixing it. Don't you think?"

"What makes you think we care how they treat us?" Blaise challenged her, but not in an unfriendly tone. "Slytherin house never needed anyone else's approval in the past."

She shrugged again. It was difficult to explain, really, but for some reason this was important to her – to get them working together, on the same team, because now there didn't need to be division. "There's not many of us eighth-years, now. What happened in the war changed us all, and it's difficult for other people to understand, because they weren't there. We all suffered together, regardless of which side we were on, and it's time for the animosity and blame culture to end. We're all affected by what happened, and the Slytherins are no exception. You need us, and we need you, and I want to help everyone to see that."

"I –" Blaise seemed to consider her for a moment, then smiled. Genuinely. "You know what, for a Gryffindor, you make a lot of sense." He was silent for a moment, observing her. "I thought all of you were the same, and I think you thought the same of us, and you're right. It's time to change it. I'll come to the party." He paused for a moment. "Can I bring the other Slytherin eighth-years? Do you think they deserve a chance, too – or is redemption in the eyes of our peers only for the chosen?" His question was a test, Hermione knew, and memories of Malfoy's sneer and cruel catcalls of ' _Mudblood_ ' crossed her mind. Could anyone have changed that much? She took a deep breath, fearful of acquiescing, but she had already started down the rabbit hole, and she wasn't about to back out now.

"If they behave," she replied carefully, "then I think it would be a good idea."

"What kind of a party will it be if everyone behaves?" the Italian replied with a glint in his eye, and she laughed at his light humour. He smiled at her again, and for a moment, in his unencumbered grin, she saw the handsomeness everyone else seemed to notice about him. "See you Saturday night, then. I'll bring along whoever wants to come."

"See you Saturday," she answered, watching him walk away. She hoped she hadn't overstepped her bounds by inviting them – and she hoped that despite the joke Blaise had made from it, that there would be no unpleasantness. Then again, with Malfoy there, who knew what would happen? It could be, and in all probability would be, a complete disaster. She put her head in her hands. Had this just been a terrible mistake?

Then, suddenly, Hermione's thoughts turned to Ginny and how she would react when she told her that her crush was coming to their party. Oh, she was definitely in for it now.


	2. Chapter 2

"GRYFF-IN-DOR! GRYFF-IN-DOR! GRYFF-IN-DOR!"

The chanting became unbearable as Ginny and her teammates were foisted into the Gryffindor common room upon the shoulders of the crowd. Of course they'd won. Ginny was one of the best Chasers that Hermione had honestly ever seen – although she didn't know much about Quidditch, she could certainly tell that – and even though they had lost Harry as Seeker, the rest of the team had rallied together around the new girl who had replaced him, and they'd beaten Hufflepuff 310-80.

Ginny dropped to the floor and ran up to hug Hermione. "Thanks for the support out there."

"Always," Hermione smiled back at her friend.

"Right, now that's that, I have to shower and change, quick!" Ginny proclaimed, "I've got an important date tonight!"

"Have you?" Hermione questioned, following her into the girls' dorm and sitting on her bed as the noise of the crowd behind them receded. The party in the Room of Requirement was tonight, so she was surprised Ginny was blowing it off to go and see a guy.

"Of course! You invited Blaise to the damn party!" Ginny called out from the bathroom. "Now I have to actually make an _effort,_ and put on _make up,_ and wear a nice _dress…_ do you realise how much stress your little bout of altruism has caused me?"

Hermione laughed. "He's seen you a million times around school. What's different about tonight?"

"Tonight," Ginny called, "we're actually hanging out. He's going to talk to me, up close, and I can't look like-" she popped her head round the door and circled a hand over her face, "-this."

"Gin, I don't think it'll really matter whether you turn up with half a ton of make-up on or in your Quidditch robes. Either he likes you or he doesn't," Hermione replied evenly. "Getting to know someone is about learning what they're all about, not what they look like. He knows that already."

"Oh, stop being so pragmatic and so… _you_ about it," Ginny sighed. "I don't need to _know_ him. I just need to _snog_ him."

Hermione frowned. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, it's so…"

Ginny emerged from the bathroom with a towel around her and sat on the bed next to Hermione. "Look," she said, "I did the _knowing him_ thing. I did it with Harry for seven years. He was all I wanted. When we got together and it wasn't how I thought…well, maybe it's time for some other tactics. I want to get Harry out of my mind, and so this time I'm following my instincts instead of my head. Does that make sense?"

Hermione nodded. She hadn't thought of it that way. What possible better way to forget someone than to go after someone who was their exact opposite in every way? "You're right, Gin."

"Maybe you could use some more instinct in your life as well," Ginny remarked, moving over towards the mirror. "You do everything with your head. Let it rest for a night. Go with the flow."

"There's just nobody I even like like that," Hermione protested.

"Is that because there's nobody there, or you just weren't looking?" Ginny questioned, and Hermione let it hang in the air. Honestly, she didn't know. After all, when she actually, really took a moment to notice – well, she'd seen the handsomeness behind Blaise's smile, and she'd noted how good Theo had looked the other morning, and honestly, Seamus had a sort of ruggedness about him now…

She sighed. "You're going to cause me to fail my exams, aren't you?"

"I'd never," Ginny replied with a cheeky smile, "but I might just help you lose your virginity along the way."

Hermione spluttered. Half indignantly, half resignedly, she replied, "No need, thanks, your brother saw to that."

"With Ron? _Really?"_ Ginny asked, flopping down on the bed next to her friend again. "OK, I _have_ to hear about this story."

Hermione groaned and put her head in her hands. "It was a stupid idea. We weren't really…hitting it off, it was all sort of awkward, and Ron thought that it was maybe because we just saw each other as friends. So his genius idea was to have sex, and then once we'd seen each other naked it might ignite the chemistry a bit more."

"You went along with that?" the ginger girl asked incredulously.

"I mean…" Hermione faltered. "I really thought things could work with Ron. It was like you and Harry, you know, we were just supposed to be together, it was how it was…I'd probably have tried anything to save our relationship at that point. Needless to say, the sex was just as awkward as the rest of it, and about a week later we called it quits."

Ginny burst into a peal of laughter. "Wow. Okay, I think I've figured out why you don't care about boys. Trust me, when the sparks are there with the right one, you'll _feel_ it. You'll want it. Just promise me you won't be all Hermione about it and reason yourself out of something before it's even begun, OK?"

"I promise," Hermione replied, secretly thinking this was all nonsense anyway. There wasn't even anyone she liked. She'd probably spend most of this evening supervising Ginny and Blaise, or trying to convince people to talk to the Slytherins. Or helping Neville while he threw up all his Firewhiskey, that was what she usually did.

Later that night, the two girls stood in the Room of Requirement, laughing and talking with Neville, Luna (her lacy dress replete with owl feathers), and Seamus. Though Ginny and Luna weren't technically eighth-years, they had been included in all of these parties, because they were as much a part of the group, or more so, than others. Hermione cast a glance around the room, sipping her Butterbeer, and saw Dean and Parvati getting _very_ friendly on the sofa, whilst Anthony Goldstein, Hannah Abbott, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Padma Patil cheered and took shots of Firewhiskey behind them. There were other conversations going on around the room, as well, but it was getting to that point in time where everyone was pleasantly tipsy and you could feel the buzz.

Abruptly, though, the atmosphere dropped, and Hermione knew only one thing could have caused it. She looked over at the entrance and sure enough, the snakes had arrived. Blaise had brought almost all of them with him – Goyle, who made a beeline for the alcohol, Theo, who looked somewhat uncomfortable and shuffled his feet, Malfoy, who looked disinterested at best and kicked his feet against the floor, Millicent Bulstrode who tried to awkwardly hide behind Blaise, and lastly Pansy, who stepped forward and glared. The boys were all dressed up very smartly in oxfords and brogues, and both Pansy and Millicent had beautiful long dresses on. Blaise looked confident as his eyes found Hermione, and he proffered her the bottle of Firewhiskey he'd brought along.

"Ogden's Finest," he proclaimed, handing it to her as she went to greet them.

"Thanks," she replied with a grin. "You all look really nice."

"Yes, well, some of us actually dress up for special occasions, Granger," came the contemptuous voice of Draco Malfoy from behind him. "Perhaps you should try it sometime, it might detract from that bird's nest on your head."

"Be nice," Blaise chided, but Hermione shook her head. He had called her Granger, that was an improvement on anything that had ever passed his lips before. "Come on in," she said, gesturing them past the door. "They're with me. After all, they're eighth-years too," she said to the room as a whole, and after some muttering and uncomfortable glances, some of the chatter resumed.

"Don't mind them. They'll come around," she said to Blaise.

"Shut up, Granger," Pansy snapped. "We're scum to them. I don't need to spend all night being looked down on."

"Perhaps if you weren't glaring at them, you'd make more friends," Blaise retorted snidely, and Pansy only glared harder.

"Out of my way," she said, and pushed past them to follow Goyle to the alcohol. Malfoy slunk after her, still looking disinterested, leaving her with Theo, Millicent and Blaise.

At that moment, Ginny popped up out of nowhere. "Is that Ogden's?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, handing her the bottle. "Ginny, this is-"

"Blaise Zabini," he interrupted her, holding out a hand to Ginny. "We've never been properly introduced. To be honest, neither have we, Hermione," he added, and she chuckled. Ginny shook his hand and introduced herself with a wide grin.

Blaise then turned to Hermione, and she shook his hand with a laugh. Taking his cue, Millicent stepped forward with a nervous smile. "I'm Millicent," she said, "but please call me Millie."

"Hi, Millie," Hermione said, really pleased with how this was going. "Hermione."

Theo cleared his throat and pulled at his beautiful black silk tie nervously. "Theodore Nott." He held out a hand to Hermione, and she shivered at the deep timbre of his voice. She'd never actually heard him speak before. She shook it with a smile. "Hi Theodore."

"Theo, please," he added. "Theodore feels so…formal."

"It's nice to properly meet you," she said, and meant it. So far, things were going well, at least with the ones she would have dubbed the 'reasonable' Slytherins.

Before long, she, Ginny and the three Slytherins had found a place to sit, and were chatting away about school and drinking some of the Firewhiskey they'd brought. It was nice, reflected Hermione, to talk to people she didn't already know – to have some new and interesting conversation, instead of already knowing everything there was to know, as she did about many people in her own house.

As the night progressed, Ginny and Blaise sat closer and closer together on the sofa, and Hermione didn't intervene. She knew her friend wouldn't thank her for it, and anyway, Ginny could take care of herself. She was glad that her friend's crush seemed to be working out. Based on Blaise's body language and the way he had an arm casually slung behind her shoulders, he found Ginny just as interesting as she found him.

She was startled by an arm suddenly being thrown over her shoulders, and looked to her right at the previously unoccupied space to see white-blond hair and a trademark smirk. "So, Granger," Malfoy began in an obnoxiously loud voice, clearly drunk, "what's it like to have an actual, physical bird's nest on your head? Enlighten us."

"I wouldn't know, Malfoy," she replied tartly, gently picking up his arm and placing it in his lap, "so I'm afraid I can't entertain us with that particular tidbit. Why don't you tell us what it's like being a ferret? I'm sure we'd all like to know."

He glared at her, slurring. "Fuck off, Granger. That was four years ago. Get some up-to-date insults or get out of my face."

"Actually, I was already here," she said, getting in his face even more, so close she could see the colour of his eyes. "So why don't you fuck off and get out of mine?"

"Oooohhhhh," chorused Blaise. "Didn't know you had claws, Hermione."

"There's a lot of things you probably don't know about me," she said with a hint of pride. She could be mysterious and interesting too.

"Why don't you enlighten us?" Malfoy cut in again, his words melding into one another. "Let's play a game of I Never Ever."

"Well, that sounds like fun," Ginny said, sitting up from under Blaise's arm. "I'm in."

"Yeah, why not," Theo said. He'd been quiet most of the evening, sitting to Hermione's left, leaning back against the wall and listening rather than talking. She wondered if this was what he was always like.

Millicent said nothing, so Hermione shrugged. "Sure. Why not?" She wanted to show that she could have fun, too, and she wasn't about to back down to Malfoy's obvious challenge.

Malfoy grinned like a wolf, then turned and called over his shoulder. "Oi! Shitheads!"

Pansy and Goyle turned from where they were sequestered away in a corner to look at him with obvious disdain. "Get over here, we're playing a game."

"What game's this?" Hermione heard a voice behind her, and Neville appeared, flanked by Luna and Seamus. She was grateful to see them. They must have decided to give the Slytherins a chance – either that, or they were checking she and Ginny hadn't got into trouble. Either way, she was happy they were there.

"We're playing I Never Ever," she announced proudly, aware that the buzz in the back of her head was getting stronger, and her decisions were definitely influenced by alcohol. "You in?"

"Hell yeah," Seamus said, sitting on the floor beside them. Neville shrugged and sat down, and Luna smiled her strange, dreamy smile and plopped herself next to him, feathers covering the floor, just as Pansy and Goyle arrived, sporting identical scowls, to complete the circle.

"Alright then," Malfoy began, pouring each of them a shot of Firewhiskey. "Let's really get this party started. Never have I ever streaked naked across the Quidditch pitch."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, figuring that nobody would be drinking, but Blaise glared at Malfoy and took a shot, muttering "Low blow, mate," – but astonishingly, so did Seamus, cheeks tinged pink from both alcohol and embarrassment.

"Finnigan?" Pansy asked with obvious surprise. "No way."

"It was a dare," he admitted. "Back in first year. Oliver Wood and them lot had a 'Scots club' which they invited me to, but there was this initiation test. I had to run across the pitch starkers while they threw Quaffles at me. Bloody club weren't worth it, it ended up disbanding in fifth year 'cause of Umbridge anyway."

Neville burst into laughter as he refilled Seamus's drink. "Oh Merlin, I remember that! You came in at midnight all bruised and bashed up, I thought you'd been out with Harry and Ron or something, they were always sneaking out. I wish I'd known, I'd have put Quaffles in your bed for a week!"

"Why'd you think I didn't say anything?" Seamus muttered, shaking his head.

"Alright, well, now we've kink-shamed Finnigan let's move on," Malfoy announced, as though he were the appointed game master. "Granger, you're up next."

Hermione thought for a moment. "Er…never have I ever…kissed someone in the library," she finished lamely, aware that it was a pretty pathetic turn but not really knowing what else to say on the spot. Pansy laughed derisively and down her drink, as did Blaise, Malfoy, Ginny, and – _Luna?_ "Luna?"

"I was in there inspecting a Nargle infestation in the Restricted Section, and Argus Filch found me. I tried to explain what I was doing there but he wasn't listening and threatened to take me to the Headmaster. So I kissed him to distract him and then ran away," she explained blithely, as though it was the most normal thing in the world.

Ginny spat out her drink and Neville made a face. Hermione blinked, unsure what to say but also unsure what she'd expected from Luna in the first place. Malfoy looked equally stunned. "Eww! Filch? That's gross!" exclaimed Millie.

"It was the best idea at the time," Luna explained with a smile, unfazed by the reaction.

"Gross, gross, gross," Blaise announced, shuddering, and picked up his newly filled glass. "Alright, my turn. Never have I ever sneaked off castle grounds without permission."

Hermione, Luna, Ginny, and Neville all took a shot – their adventure to the Ministry in fifth year was well-known, after all – and unsurprisingly, so did Malfoy. Hermione supposed his task from Voldemort in sixth year might have had something to do with that.

There were no surprises there, so they moved on, getting steadily drunker and louder. Ginny slouched back into Blaise, almost cuddling him at this stage, and Seamus passed out on the floor after having to take four drinks in a row. Hermione was giggling uncontrollably, feeling very light-headed, and even Malfoy and Pansy had stopped frowning and started to smile. It was unusual to see Malfoy smiling, but it actually suited him, Hermione thought. If only he wasn't such a vile human, he'd be much better looking. She sighed into her drink at her train of thought, then immediately began giggling again. She'd never been this drunk before.

"Never have I ever…" began Millie, who was swaying dangerously on her seat, "had sex."

Hermione watched, curious, as Ginny, Blaise, Malfoy and Pansy took shots, then shrugged and knocked hers back as well. As awkward as her experience with Ron had been, she thought it counted. Audible gasps sounded from around her, and Malfoy snorted to her right. "The Golden Girl? You're kidding me."

"Was it Weasley?" Pansy asked, genuinely seeming interested.

"Yeah," Hermione admitted. It seemed better that it was someone she'd been in a relationship with, at least. "Just once," she added with a small shrug.

Malfoy burst into laughter. "Weasley managed to worm his way past the Iron Knickers? Alright, I owe someone five Galleons, but I can't remember who."

"Hey," Neville cut in, "don't be an ass, Malfoy."

"Come on Longbottom, you're not telling me you thought any different. Not really," Malfoy said derisively. "Everyone knows Granger is the most prudish girl in the school."

"Well, evidently not," Hermione cut in, desperate to stand up for herself. She didn't have to take this from him. She knew how most people in the school viewed her – bookish, unapproachable, prudish – but she wasn't really that way, she just focused on her studies and boys were a secondary concern. If anyone had asked, if anyone had noticed her, maybe they wouldn't see her that way at all. "Sometimes people aren't at all what they seem."

"No offence, Granger," Malfoy said rudely, "but it's not even that. I'm genuinely surprised anyone wanted to go near you in the first place, since you're not just the biggest prude in the school, but also the ugliest. Though, I suppose, it was Weasley, so he barely even counts."

That had done it. She wasn't about to take this lying down. The alcohol in her veins fuelled her courage, and she stood up, hands balled into fists. Ginny sat up, watching her nervously, and the rest of the group had fallen silent. "Fine, I haven't had much experience. You've probably had sex with everyone in your entire House, and I congratulate you on being a man-whore, Malfoy. But the one thing I can say is, unlike you, at least my partner wanted me for something other than my parents' money!"

Malfoy glared at her in fury. She'd crossed a line, and she almost gulped, but stood firm. He deserved this. He deserved this for everything he'd ever said to her, for everything he'd ever done, for all the insults and jabs and tricks and nastiness. She felt braver than she ever had. He raised a hand and it looked like he was about to slap her, but at the last second he narrowed his eyes and turned, stalking away and out of the Room of Requirement without a word.

Hermione let out a deep breath she didn't know she had been holding and looked at the rest of the group. Everyone seemed dumbstruck – even Ginny, who stared at her with wonder.

"Nobody's ever called him out on his bullshit like that before," remarked Pansy. "I'd better check he's alright." She got up and followed him out of the room, adjusting her green dress which was slightly off kilter, showing her bra strap underneath.

Blaise took a breath. "Well, I'd say that's enough of I Never Ever, wouldn't you? Who's up for a game of something else?"

While the others began to chat again, rousing Seamus who blinked blearily, Hermione chewed her lip. She was sober enough to remember that this had been her idea, that she wanted them all to get along, and there she was rising to Malfoy's taunts and throwing her inter-House unity idea out of the window. Suddenly, she didn't feel very good.

"Are you okay?" asked a deep voice beside her, and she raised her eyes to Theo's concerned face. He was sitting very close to her.

"Yeah," she muttered. "I just wish I hadn't said anything. I shouldn't've said anything…"

"Honestly," he said, hands running through his rumpled hair, "I think he had it coming. He's been dishing it out for years, he needs to learn how to take it. And what he said about you wasn't fair."

Hermione snorted. "Yes it was. Everyone knows I'm the hopeless, prudish, ugly bookworm, sitting alone in the library with her nose in a book and a stick up her ass."

Theo shrugged. "I never thought that about you. I don't think many of us did. If I'm being completely honest here – I'm pretty sure Malfoy only said all that stuff because he fancies you, and he's annoyed that someone else got there first."

"He fancies me? That's a laugh, he's never done anything but seek to ridicule me," Hermione replied. "It's not exactly like I've been unapproachable for all these years, is it?"

Theo sighed. "It's difficult for us. For purebloods. I mean, none of that shit matters right now, when we've just had a war over it," he admonished quickly at her sidelong glance, "but you have to understand what it's like. We can't just drop it all and do what we like. There are rules. You're a Muggle-born, and if even a whisper of that had got back to Draco's parents, well, being pulled out of school would have been the least of his troubles."

Hermione considered this. It was plausible. What wasn't plausible was the thought that Malfoy, blond-haired Prat of the Century, would ever find her in the slightest bit attractive. "I still don't believe you," she said finally. "There's just no way. He could have anyone."

"Except you," Theo pointed out with an arched brow. "And the grass is always greener, right? It's in our nature to want what we can't have." Hermione sat back in her seat, her mind reeling. "Of course, I'm not saying any of this to get you to act on it, or anything," Theo added quickly, his hand in his hair again, "but just so you don't feel bad. It's all just bluster and he doesn't mean a word of it."

"Thanks, Theo," Hermione said genuinely, and smiled at him. He was lovely. A lovely Slytherin. She hadn't thought there was such a thing. He smiled back, dark eyes twinkling, white oxford open casually at the neck, and her heart fluttered a little bit. Just like it had used to do when Ron smiled at her. Theo was really, really good-looking when he dressed up, and she found herself wishing she could take that shirt right off him and catch a glimpse of what was underneath. Oh no. Oh no no no no.

 _You're drunk,_ she reminded herself forcefully. _You're drunk, so don't do anything rash._

Just then, a crash sounded behind them, and Hermione looked round to see Millie had fallen off her chair. Everyone else was laughing, except Ginny and Blaise, who were indistinguishable in a tangle of limbs and furious snogging that was taking up the couch. Hermione laughed as Goyle helped Millie to her decidedly wobbly feet and offered them all a shy smile. "I'd better take her home," he said as she stared up at him with abject adoration in her gaze.

"I'll come too," Theo said, putting his hands on his knees and standing up, "Blaise can find his way back when he's finished. Thanks for inviting us all tonight, it was a blast."

Blaise either didn't hear his name or didn't care. He and Ginny were completely caught up in each other. Theo stood on the other side of Goyle, dwarfed by his giant size, and put his arm around Millie's other shoulder, supporting her, and together the three of them waved and departed.

Neville stood, too, and looked around the room. "Looks like the party's dying down," he commented, "so I'm going back to Gryffindor Tower. Anyone else coming?"

"Yes," Hermione said, sparing a final glance for Ginny who looked like she wouldn't be done for a while. "Let's head back, it's late. Or early."

It was only a short walk back to their dorms from the Room, as both were on the seventh floor. Luna walked out with them and then departed for Ravenclaw's common room, and so Hermione was left with Neville and Seamus. Seamus was absolutely sloshed, leaning on Neville for support and grinning wildly, proclaiming how fun the night had been. He was right, though – she'd really had a lot of fun, despite the argument with Malfoy.

As they approached the portrait hole, Hermione let the two boys go first, half-pushing Seamus up the steps as Neville dragged him from the other side. She was about to follow when she was suddenly grabbed by the arm and pulled away into an alcove. Alarmed, she tried to scream but felt a hand cover her mouth almost immediately.

"Granger, it's me," a voice hissed in her ear, and she could smell the Firewhiskey and hear the slurred tones of the blond git himself. She relaxed; at least it didn't look like she was in danger.

"What is it?" she hissed when he moved his hand away. "Have you come to apologise?"

He snorted. "Malfoys don't apologise."

"Then what?" she demanded, but instead of answering, with a predatory look in his eyes, Malfoy suddenly leaned down and kissed her fiercely, bruisingly. He pushed her against the wall, his lips mashed onto hers, and despite everything it felt _really good._ Despite everything, fuelled by alcohol, tension and hormones, she kissed him back. They parted, breathless, and stared each other down; then without a word, tie askew and hair ruffled, he spun on his heel and left her there.

 _What in the name of Merlin was that about?_

Utterly confused, head spinning, for once Hermione decided to just go to sleep, and worry about the consequences of all this in the morning.

That night, Hermione dreamed of Malfoy's rough kiss, and the thrilling and tantalising sensations that had passed through her body, but in her dream it wasn't Malfoy who had his hands on her, who was kissing her to within an inch of her sanity – it was a dark-haired Slytherin with a twinkling smile and a casual open shirt.

 _Shit._


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione woke the next morning to a passed-out Ginny lying on the bed next to her. She smiled and stifled a laugh – Ginny must have either forgotten which was her bed, or been so drunk she couldn't make it across the room and just dropped onto Hermione's, conveniently the closest to the door. She sat up and looked around, careful not to disturb the sleeping redhead. They were the only two people in the room; Parvati's bed was empty, and she strongly suspected that the Indian girl was currently in the boys' dorm with Dean. After all, they'd been going at it very early on in the evening.

She clutched her head as a wave of nausea rolled over her, and wordlessly summoned a hangover potion from her trunk. If there was one reason she'd always be grateful for her natural affinity for Potions, it was because she had brewed these herself and she'd been able to tailor them exactly how she wanted – with a sweet taste and less side effects. After she'd gratefully gulped it down, the memories of last night started coming back to her in force. She rarely ever forgot anything, even while drunk, probably because her brain was used to working overtime.

Merlin, though, what the hell had Malfoy been thinking? Storming out like that and then coming back to ambush her outside the common room? Circe only knew what the Fat Lady must think of her after witnessing _that_ little display. She couldn't deny it, though – she'd kissed him back. She had liked it. It had felt visceral and exciting in ways that kissing Ron just hadn't. She pondered – did she enjoy it because it was unexpected and naughty and thrilling, or was it because she could _actually_ like Malfoy?

Immediately, she dismissed the thought with a snort. Never happening. It must have been her getting caught up in the moment, that was all. Her thoughts moved from Malfoy to Theo, to Theo's sparkling eyes and swishy hair and gentle expression. Contrary to all her previous protests, she thought she really might be developing a crush on him. She smiled for a moment, then remembered what she'd done with Malfoy, and groaned. Things were, all of a sudden, a lot more complicated.

Ginny stirred next to her at the sound of her voice. "Wh-whassat?"

"Morning," Hermione said with an amused grin, summoning another potion. She knew Ginny would need it – she always did. The Weasley girl took it gratefully and downed it in one gulp; then, the vigour returning to her rapidly, she sat up with an excitable grin.

"Hermione! Guess what?!"

"You made out with Blaise?" Hermione said with a raised eyebrow.

Ginny looked shocked, then sheepish. "Oh. I guess you hadn't all left before we started. How – how much did you see?"

"Well," Hermione thought back, "Millie and Seamus were too drunk to notice anything. Theo, Goyle, Neville and I saw you getting into quite the little snogging session and then decided we'd best leave you to it." She smiled, because despite the impropriety of it all, she was glad her friend had had a good time. "That must have been at about 3am. I was asleep when you got back."

"Oh," Ginny sounded relieved. "Thank Merlin you didn't stay any later – things got pretty heavy."

"Tell me we don't have to go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione signed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Nothing like that," Ginny admonished, smacking her. "As if I'd do that on the first night, come on. We just did…some other stuff."

"I don't need to know," Hermione stated, putting her hands up in front of her face.

Ginny laughed. "I can't wait to see him at breakfast. I hope he still thinks I'm cute then."

"I'm sure he will," Hermione said with a smile. Blaise hadn't seemed like the type to just ditch someone immediately. Then again, she didn't know any of the Slytherins all too well yet.

"So what did you get up to?" Ginny asked, settling back on the bed. "Anything interesting?"

"Well…" Hermione didn't quite know where to start. She decided the best way was chronologically, so she began from the ending of I Never Ever and told Ginny about all the events leading up to her entering the portrait hole. Ginny looked gobsmacked when she was finished.

"Wow," she said, once Hermione had finished talking, "I can't believe Malfoy would do that! It's like – it's _Malfoy!_ Eww! But also – I've heard rumours…was it good?"

Hermione felt herself grinning against her will. "Well…yeah," she admitted. "It was fantastic."

"Eurgh," Ginny said, but in a fascinated tone. "I can't even imagine it. But you say you don't even like him? You think you like Theo?"

"Well, I don't know about _like_ yet," Hermione cautioned. "I think he's good-looking and nice to speak to, and I find him interesting, and I'd like to get to know him better."

"You like him, you like him," Ginny chanted childishly, almost bouncing up and down in excitement. "Merlin, won't it be amazing? Us two with our Slytherin boyfriends? We could have a double wedding!"

Hermione laughed. "Hold up, Gin, I ended last night by kissing his best friend – and my mortal enemy – in the corridor. And despite it all, it felt really nice. I don't know what Theo thinks of me, even, but judging by that I know what _Malfoy_ thinks about me, and that's really confusing."

"Yeah," Ginny said, her face serious again. "That's a bit of a shitty development. Honestly, I don't know what to say – except I'm really glad you're opening up a bit and starting to follow your instincts. Look what's happened, a crush and a snog both in one night! I'm proud of you!"

Hermione laughed despite herself. "If only they were the same person, eh?"

At that moment, the door opened and Parvati crept back in, in the same dress she'd worn the night before, her high heels in her hand. She looked over at Hermione's bed with a start, her guilty look betraying that she had hoped they'd be asleep.

"How's Dean?" singsonged Ginny, and Parvati cringed.

"You…you saw that, then," she said, clearing her throat and crossing the room to drop her shoes on her bed.

"I think pretty much everyone in the castle saw it," Hermione remarked teasingly. "You guys were all over each other."

Parvati sighed, sat on her bed and put her head in her hands. "Oh man. I was so drunk."

"Do you regret it?" Ginny asked seriously. "'Cause I'm pretty sure Dean's been into you for a really long time. Like, I remember him mentioning you a lot, even when we were going out like two years ago. He'll be broken up if you don't actually like him."

"Of course I like him," wailed Parvati, "I just – I don't know if I'm ready for something like this. I know how much Dean likes me and I don't want to let him down. I can't be this perfect ideal that he thinks I am, because I'm a mess, ever since Lavender…"

She tailed off, and immediately, Hermione and Ginny both got up and sat either side of her, hugging one shoulder each. It was standard protocol when one of them began to get upset about something that happened during the war – it had become a comforting habit. "Don't, Parvati," Hermione said softly, "Lavender wouldn't want you to be feeling like this, you know that. She'd be egging you on, telling you to go out with Dean and supply all of us with the juicy details." As much as she'd loathed Lavender during their years at school, she knew the girl well enough to know that that's exactly what she'd have done.

Parvati looked up at her with a watery smile. "Yeah, you're right. I'm being stupid. Dean likes me, and I like him, and it shouldn't need to be any more than that, should it?"

Ginny grinned. "Nope. Spot on. Shall we get some breakfast, then?"

Suddenly Parvati seemed to remember something and clapped a hand to her mouth. "Oh sweet Circe, I'd forgotten," she said, stifling a growing smile. "In the boys' dorm, last night – obviously Dean and I were pretty occupied, but I remember Seamus and Neville coming in super late, and – _they went to the same bed,"_ she finished in a dramatic whisper.

Hermione and Ginny exchanged a glance. Hermione had never been one for gossip, really, but this was something pretty big. "Are you sure? Did you hear anything else?"

"No," Parvati affirmed, "I don't know if they just went to sleep or what. But I didn't think Seamus was gay, so it was pretty surprising to say the least."

"He's bi," confirmed Ginny, "Dean mentioned it to me once. Don't think he should have, but he was pretty drunk at the time. Could well be there's something going on there."

"Wow," Parvati said, eyebrows raised. "Well, there you go, I guess."

At that, the three of them began to get ready, dressing and heading down for breakfast. It was always a little later on the weekends, and though it usually bothered Hermione because she woke up at the same time every day and then had to wait longer for breakfast to start, today she was very glad of it. As she piled eggs on her toast, she looked around the room and saw many bedraggled eighth-years looking sorry for themselves. At least it had been one hell of a party.

Soon after they arrived, Hermione saw the Slytherin crowd troop in from the corner of her eye. Millie looked very hung over, and Blaise was sporting bags under his eyes to match Ginny's, but the rest of them seemed unaffected. Malfoy deliberately avoided looking at her as he walked past, and Pansy gave her an uneasy glance, but Theo smiled and raised a hand. Blaise made a beeline for the Gryffindor table, leaving his friends behind. As he approached, Ginny stood up and a grin spread over her face. Hermione watched her friend, entranced – she really did have a soft spot for the Slytherin. It would seem he reciprocated, as well, since he was unashamedly walking over to her in front of not just the eighth years, but the entire school, teachers included.

"Hey," Ginny greeted him as he arrived at their spot.

Blaise didn't even reply, but instead walked straight up to her and kissed her soundly on the lips. Parvati gasped and Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Hey, you," he said breathlessly afterwards. "Meet me by the lake after breakfast? I want to pick up where we left off last night."

"Deal," Ginny grinned, then kissed him again, and he smirked before nodding to the other two girls and leaving to go to his own table. She sat down and let out a long breath. "Well, that was…"

"Unexpected?" prompted Hermione.

"Fun," she replied, and gestured around the Great Hall at the stunned faces. "Seems like he doesn't give a shit about what they think, which is fantastic because neither do I."

"Did I miss something?" questioned Parvati, looking between the two of them, baffled.

"Ginny got very well acquainted with the inside of Blaise's mouth last night," Hermione helpfully supplied. "It would seem as though he's pretty keen."

"Good, 'cause so am I," Ginny said distractedly, shovelling down her breakfast with the gusto only a member of the Weasley family could manage. Clearly she wanted to finish and get out to meet Blaise.

Hermione laid a hand on her arm and looked at her seriously. "Gin, don't forget. Whatever you do here gets around, and sooner or later it's probably going to get back to Harry. He might ask about it, and I know he was really gutted about the break up – what do you want me to say, if he finds out?"

"That I'm messing around with a Slytherin?" Ginny pondered. "Yeah, I doubt that will go down too well – not with Ron either, to be honest." She sighed. "I don't want you to lie, but just play it down a little, if you do get an owl. After all, I don't even know what we want from each other yet, or how much he likes me, so no sense rocking the boat unless it looks like it's actually going to last. Is that okay?"

"Of course," Hermione smiled. She was grateful Ginny hadn't asked her to lie, because her loyalty was always to Harry first and it would have put her in a very difficult position. The way she'd phrased it, she didn't even know if it was going to be something serious, and it made it easier for Hermione to downplay it too. Maybe she wouldn't even get an owl from them. Ginny stood up and left, catching Blaise's eye as she hurried out of the Hall, and Hermione saw the Slytherin grab some toast and follow her almost immediately. She shook her head. There was definitely going to be an owl.

She finished her breakfast in relative peace, interrupted only by the arrival of Neville, Seamus and Dean. Parvati and Dean's awkward, stilted conversation eventually became too much to bear, so Hermione excused herself, intending to go to the library and catch up on some homework. She hadn't got anything done yesterday because of the party, so she was prepared to settle in for an afternoon proofreading her Ancient Runes essay. Nobody else went to the library on Sundays, so it was always lovely and peaceful.

She felt Malfoy's eyes following her as she left the Great Hall, but she didn't look round. If he wanted to come and talk to her, he could, and if he didn't, that was fine by her. She didn't know what had made him kiss her, and that unknown fact niggled at the back of her brain, but the knowledge that he was clearly in the midst of some sort of crisis where she was concerned gave her a newfound sense of empowerment that she was very much enjoying.

She settled down in her usual seat at the back of the library and took out her books, ready to get started. The sky outside was grey and the wind cold, it being mid-October, so there were no distractions as she buried herself in the third draft of her essay. She worked until well into the afternoon, when the murky sky outside had begun to darken, then paused to light a lantern so she could see better. Surprisingly, Madam Pince didn't mind lanterns in the library so long as they were supervised, and preferred it to when students would cast Lumos spells. A backfiring spell, she always said, would cause much more damage than an upset lantern.

Whilst fetching some oil, Hermione noticed another person sitting at the very back of the library, head bent over some parchment. Whoever it was was using their wand to see by, and Hermione knew that Madam Pince would swoop down on them if she saw them. She decided to take them a lantern of their own to spare them the librarian's wrath.

When she approached the table, though, and the figure looked up she saw the familiar face of Theo. "Hermione," he said in surprise. His hair was more ruffled than usual, from his running his hands through it constantly, she supposed, and his jumper was rolled up past his sleeves. He looked exhausted.

"Oh, hi, Theo," she replied. "I didn't know it was you over here. Sorry to disturb you. I just thought I'd warn you that Madam Pince doesn't like wandlight, and bring you this instead."

He took the proffered lantern with a smile. "Thanks. I don't really come here often, I don't know the library rules."

"What brings you here today?" Hermione asked, honestly glad of the short break from her own work.

"This assignment from Professor Sinistra," Theo gestured at the parchment in front of him. "I was planning to do it this weekend, but then the party happened so now I'm a little behind."

"The Rune chart?" Hermione asked, surprised. "I didn't know you took Ancient Runes. How have I never seen you in class before?"

Theo looked sheepish. "I'm taking extra-credit classes. I have private sessions every Tuesday and Thursday evening since my timetable is too full. I need this for next Tuesday, but I'd already put aside tomorrow night to work on Slughorn's Potions essay, and now I'm really regretting going to that party."

Hermione smiled. Here was someone with a work ethic she could appreciate. "I'm working on the same assignment right now. Would you like some help?" she offered.

Theo looked at her, surprise evident in his dark eyes. "Really? I know enough about you – and overheard enough conversations between you and your friends – to know you don't like helping others with their homework. I wouldn't want to put you out or anything…"

Hermione snorted. "I don't like helping _slackers_ with their homework. Ron and Harry used to spend every evening playing chess and then ask me to copy twenty minutes before the lesson. I don't mind helping someone who actually wants to learn."

Theo's sheepish face told a story. "Sorry. I guess I shouldn't assume things. I would really appreciate the help, if you still wouldn't mind. Just with this one section."

"It's all right," Hermione said with a grin, pulling up a chair beside him. To be honest, anyone who'd heard her retorts when the two boys had dared to ask for her homework had a right to be cautious. "It's easy to make assumptions, and you don't know me that well yet."

"Yet?" Theo questioned with a smile.

"Yet," Hermione confirmed, and bent over his parchment. She certainly had the intentions of getting to know all of the Slytherins much better, true to her word to Blaise. She didn't think any of them deserved the treatment they were receiving (except maybe Malfoy) and she'd really had fun getting to know them the previous evening. "So which part exactly are you stuck on?"

They worked together on Theo's assignment for the next few hours. Hermione found him to be a delightful study partner. He actually wanted to learn the material, which was something she valued, but more than that he didn't ask her for the answers. He debated with her, offering his own ideas and asking for her opinions, and at one point in their conversation they actually discovered something she hadn't even thought of, so she had to run back to add it to her own chart. All in all, she had a very enjoyable time, and when he finally dropped his quill and ran his hands through his hair with a sigh, she leaned back, content that they'd done a great job.

"What time is it?" Theo asked, rubbing his eyes. Besides their little flickering lantern light, it was almost pitch black.

Hermione muttered a wandless spell. "Half past eight. We've missed dinner."

"Whoa," he said, "I should get back to the common room or they'll have a search party out soon."

Hermione laughed. "I doubt anyone in Gryffindor has even noticed. I'm always late at the library. Besides, Ginny will have been busy all day, I'd imagine."

"Oh, Merlin, yeah," Theo shook his head as he gathered up his possessions. "I had no idea he was going to do that at breakfast. Quite the statement, wouldn't you say?"

"Ginny loved it," responded Hermione, "but I'm worried. Word might get back to Harry and Ron, then I'll be the one getting the Howlers about it."

"Howlers?" Theo questioned. "Why, is she still involved with Potter or something?"

"No," Hermione said quickly, not wanting to make Ginny out to be some kind of slut, "but Ron's her brother and he's pretty protective – and I think Harry is still kind of upset about them breaking up. Hearing she's with a Slytherin…"

"Right," Theo nodded in understanding. "I guess they're not on the same page as you about Slytherins."

Hermione looked apologetic as she stepped back to let him leave the library first. "They're still dealing with the aftermath of everything every day in their jobs," she said, in an attempt to defend them. "They don't see the innocent Slytherins."

Theo laughed. "I don't think there's ever been an innocent Slytherin."

Hermione laughed along with him. "Alright, well, innocent in the eyes of the law, anyway," she corrected herself. "It'd be difficult for them to reconcile memories of the war and of Malfoy and Pansy's attitudes with the fun we had at the party last night, or how much Ginny likes Blaise, or us hanging out and working on assignments together."

"I see that," Theo said sagely. "To be honest, it was difficult for me to understand it when Blaise came in and announced we'd been invited to the party. I figured it was some kind of practical joke, and then when he said it came from you, I was even more confused."

"How so?" Hermione questioned, genuinely curious.

"Well," Theo replied, frowning, "you don't seem the type to play cruel jokes. If it wasn't that we were going to turn up and be covered in Stinkbombs for everyone else's entertainment, I couldn't understand why anyone, especially you, would want us there. Blaise explained it to me, though," he finished with a shrug, "and so we went. And now, here we are."

Hermione grinned. "It was sort of on a whim at first," she confessed, "Blaise had been so polite during Potions and I just suddenly thought, maybe Slytherins aren't all bad and I just blurted it out."

"I'm glad you did," Theo said seriously as they approached the entrance to his common room. "The others act like they couldn't care less, but they could and they do. Our house needed someone to give us a chance to show everyone we're not our parents."

Hermione beamed as they arrived at the door. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you all better," she said truthfully. "Perhaps we could all have some drinks at the next Hogsmeade trip or something."

"That'd be great," Theo replied, "I'll see who's up for it. In fact, would you like to come in for a drink now?" He gestured at the doorway. "If nobody's missing you at Gryffindor, maybe you could hang out with us for a while."

Hermione almost accepted; it was on the tip of her tongue. Theo was so lovely, and she wanted to continue talking to him. She wanted to find out if Millie was okay after her fall last night. She wanted to tease Blaise about his public display of affection this morning. Then she thought about Malfoy, who would invariably be present, and the word 'yes' died on her lips.

"I should probably get back," she said apologetically. "I need to get something to eat anyway."

"Oh," Theo said with a flash of disappointment. "Well, alright then. See you around. Thanks for the help today."

"My pleasure," Hermione replied as he departed into the common room, and meant it.


	4. Chapter 4

As October wore on, Hermione saw little of her friends. The weather was getting to be punishing now, freezing winds and constant rain pounding against the walls of the drafty castle. Ginny was noticeably absent from the common room almost all the time, having struck up a torrid – well, Hermione wouldn't call it a _relationship,_ exactly, but something of the kind – with Blaise, and between that and Quidditch practice, she only saw the other girl at meals and bedtime.

She'd taken to sitting with Neville, Seamus, Dean and Parvati in the evenings. Dean and Parvati were now 'seeing each other', albeit it seemed more like the kind of awkward relationship she'd had with Ron than anything resembling what Ginny had with Blaise. It seemed the two of them had to have some drinks inside them to be able to actually express anything to each other. Hermione didn't make it her business, though, and simply enjoyed spending more time with people other than Harry and Ron.

Malfoy hadn't approached her again after the night of the party, and she was honestly glad of it. It had been the hottest kiss of her life, that was a fact, but he was _Malfoy_ and that was also a fact. She hoped he would continue to ignore her as he'd been doing before. She was getting a bit closer with the other Slytherins, though, sharing a table with Blaise often now in Potions, catching lunch with Millie on occasion and stopping for the occasional conversation with Theo in the halls. They hadn't had another opportunity to hang out all as a group, and Goyle and Pansy remained firmly out of her comfort zone, but she was glad to have made great inroads with the other three, all of whom she would now consider her friends.

"Hello?" a voice pulled her out of her musings. She looked around, startled, and saw a laughing Seamus and Neville with an eyebrow raised. "Did you even hear me, Hermione?"

"No, sorry," she replied meekly. "I was somewhere else."

"Halloween. What's the plan?" Neville repeated. "I thought we were all going together, but now with Ginny and Blaise and Dean and Parvati who both want to go in couples, it'll just be the three of us. Are you alright with that?"

"Of course," Hermione said, then remembered what Parvati had told her the other day about Neville and Seamus. Maybe she was the third wheel here. "Unless you don't want to?"

"No, we do," Neville said earnestly, "there's so much pressure on these things otherwise. It's much more fun to just go as a group and see what happens when you get there." Behind him, Seamus nodded in agreement.

Hermione nodded, remembering the uncomfortable onus that she had felt back in fourth year's Yule Ball. Of course, this party was nothing close to as fancy, but Headmistress McGonagall had made a big effort to try and put on something fun for the whole school. Then, obviously, they had planned the after-party in the Room of Requirement for eighth-years and guests only, with real drinks, and Hermione suspected it wouldn't be any tamer than the last.

The next day, she was walking along the corridor towards her Arithmancy class when she felt as if someone was watching her. She hurried her steps along, old instincts from the war kicking in and her hand finding her wand. She knew that whoever it was, whatever it was, it was probably harmless, and she was safe in the castle, but that didn't stop the hairs raising on the back of her neck or the churning nervousness in her gut that came from memories of Snatchers past.

Just as she was about to reach the door of her classroom, the subject of her apprehension suddenly appeared before her. "Granger."

She let out a breath. "Malfoy, for Merlin's sake," she admonished, "you made me jump."

The blonde Slytherin was leaning against a column to her left, looking as casual and breezy as he always did, hair slicked back and perfect, smirk spread across his face. "Are you going to the Halloween party?"

"Yes, just like everyone else," she replied, then added with a derisive look, "Why, are you asking me to be your date?"

"As if I'd be seen with your beaver teeth," Malfoy replied. "I meant the real party, the after-party, not whatever fruit-punch teen-rated bash McGonagall's putting on."

"Answer's still the same," Hermione snapped, wanting to be free of this conversation and irritated at him for his lack of respect for one of the teachers she was most fond of. "I don't know why you think you're invited, though, Malfoy. Or why you'd even care to go, you've made your disdain for the rest of us perfectly clear. Can I go to my class now?"

"Disdain?" Malfoy ignored everything else she said, and pushed off the column, walking over to her. "Granger, you haven't got a clue. I don't even care enough to have any disdain for them."

"So why are you coming to our party?" she challenged defiantly.

"Because I can't get you out of my fucking head," he replied, eyes narrowing, and she realised how close he'd come. She could see right into his stormy grey eyes, count every eyelash. She swallowed.

"Look, Malfoy, I don't –" she began, but before she could finished he'd kissed her. And once again, despite everything, his lips felt amazing, his body was warm and she could forget, forget it was Malfoy and sink into the feeling. Despite everything, they had the most incredible chemistry that left her wanting more. She had thought it was just the amount of alcohol they'd had the other night, but she felt it now, too, all the way to the tips of her toes. _Why_ did it have to be Malfoy that made her feel this way? Why couldn't she and Ron have had this thrilling, intense passion? She pulled away and stared at him.

"Say what you like," he whispered with a triumphant smirk, "but you kissed me back. You want me."

"Fat chance," Hermione said uncomfortably, stepping away from him, knowing it was true. "I was drunk, and I thought you were as well. This should never have happened, it's insanity."

"I'm not drunk now, and I'm willing to bet you're not either, Granger," he said, and she forced herself to look back at him, into the depths of those grey eyes. This was probably the longest actual conversation she'd ever had with him. "You're right. It's insanity," he went on, "but I fucking want more."

"More of what? This?" Hermione said exasperatedly, gesturing between them. "Hatred, evasiveness, arguments and then – what? The odd clandestine snog in the hallways when you're not being a dick to everyone you meet? No, Malfoy, no 'more of this'."

"Your body wants it," Malfoy correctly pointed out. "Why don't you let it decide for once and put away that unattractive know-it-all brain of yours?"

"I'm no slave to my baser urges, unlike you," Hermione spat back at him, wishing she could make herself believe it, "and I have no intention of touching you ever again."

"Maybe you don't," he said, not sounding sorry about it at all, "but you will touch me again, and I'll leave you begging for more." He grinned like a wolf. "See you at Halloween, Granger. Wear something sexy, won't you?"

"I will, but it won't be for you," she retorted, refusing to let him win, amazed at her presence of mind to come up with something so smooth.

He whirled, real fury in his gaze, and stared at her. "Then for whom? Snivelly Longbottom? The loud, irritating Irish twat? None of those idiots you hang out with can hold a candle to me and you know it."

"Any of my friends," Hermione said, shaking with anger, "are worth ten of you, Malfoy. So get your head out of your ass and leave me alone."

"Who is it?" Malfoy asked. "I won't ask again, Granger. Tell me his name."

"Get out of my face," she replied, and before he could say anything, ran into her classroom. She leaned back against the door, taking deep breaths. Surely he would get the picture and leave her alone? Maybe she should make it look like she was with someone on Halloween, so he wouldn't approach her? Then again, it was Malfoy; instead of being deterred, he'd probably just take it upon himself to kidnap her in the corridor again and give her a hard time for bringing someone else. And even though she hated him, even though she thought he was a vile and unpleasant human being with virtually no redeeming qualities, the chemistry between them was undeniable and a little voice in the back of her head desperately wanted to run right back out and continue where they'd left off.

How had she managed to get herself into this mess?

A week later, she and Ginny were getting ready together. Though the official theme of McGonagall's party was a masquerade, most of the eighth years weren't taking it very seriously. They all knew each other well enough, and were quite a tight-knit group anyway, so the 'mysteriousness' of it wouldn't really fly with them; and besides, they wanted to make sure they were wearing something comfortable enough for the after-party. Both girls had opted for simple, sleek dresses, Hermione's gold and Ginny's bright red.

"Blaise says he has something important to say tonight," Ginny was telling Hermione as she zipped herself up. "I wonder what it is."

"I've no idea," Hermione responded, shrugging. "What do you guys normally talk about? Has he mentioned anything you could draw clues from?"

Ginny giggled. "We don't really talk much, if you know what I mean."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're impossible," she laughed. "Do you even know anything about him?"

"Yeah," Ginny said defensively, "he's Italian, his mother's been widowed seven times, he's a Pureblood, he's about 6'2" and he has a slight curve to his-"

"STOP," Hermione interjected, closing her eyes and pinching her nose. "Do you know anything about him that you can't find out from the papers or from…groping?"

Ginny considered it. "Not really. It's not like he's my boyfriend or anything, though, we're just having fun. So I don't really need to know that much about him."

Hermione shook her head. "You're in a different world from me, Gin."

The ginger girl laughed. "I'm just a little more easy-going, that's all. The kind of relationship I have with Blaise wouldn't suit you, anyway. You've always been more of a serious kind of person than me. You like full-on commitment and feelings, which is awesome in its way, but less of what I need, especially right now. For you, though, it's perfect."

Hermione grimaced, remembering Malfoy's kiss. "Actually, there's something I haven't told you," she said. She hadn't got a chance to update Ginny on what had been going on yet, and she could really use the advice. "Malfoy cornered me again the other day and we ended up kissing. Or, I should say, _he_ kissed _me_ and I didn't stop him."

Ginny turned to her, open-mouthed. "And you waited this long to tell me? I thought that whole thing was just because you were drunk!"

She shook her head helplessly. "I don't know. I thought so too, but then – even though he's hateful and vile and awful in every conceivable aspect – something just feels right about it. He feels it too, and it's really odd. It's what I wish I could have felt with Ron."

Ginny considered this. "So, you enjoy his company? You like hanging around him?"

"Not at all," Hermione protested. "He's a stuck-up pig."

"Then it sounds like you just have some built-up sexual tension," the Weasley girl advised her. "I guess because you've got so much history with Malfoy, and such strong feelings towards him – even if they're negative feelings," she clarified at Hermione's stuttered interjection, "they're still very strong. So something in your body recognizes that and I guess you express it sexually."

Hermione groaned. "How do I stop doing that?"

Ginny grinned. "Shag him. Then it might go away."

"Eurgh!" Hermione shot up and walked across the room. "With Malfoy? No way! The next time I have sex I want it to be with someone I care about."

Her friend shrugged. "So keep on building up the tension for a while until you can't stand it anymore, and then shag him. It'll happen eventually."

"You seem to be awfully calm about this," Hermione noted, eyeing her.

Ginny shrugged again. "I'm snogging a Slytherin, aren't I? I mean, I know, Malfoy is so much worse, and I'd be concerned if you actually liked him, but since it's just a sexual tension thing, I get it. Besides, didn't you tell me you liked Theo?"

"How can I, though?" Hermione asked helplessly. "I thought I did like Theo – I do – maybe – I mean, he's so kind and quietly handsome and we get along so well – but if I really do have a crush on him, how is it that at the same time can't forget the feeling of Malfoy's tongue in my mouth?"

"Things will work themselves out," Ginny said gently, aware her friend was genuinely upset. "Look, you've not had much experience with either love or sex yet, and you're still working out what you want. That's okay. Let things happen how they happen. I won't judge you, you know that. Just – make sure nobody gets hurt, okay? I know it may seem like Malfoy doesn't have any feelings, but he's human too, and if you guys get too involved…well, let's say I can see him falling in love with you," she remarked. "If you don't want that, keep him at arm's length. Make sure he knows the boundaries."

"Why can't it all just be easy?" Hermione groaned. "Why could stupid Malfoy not have just left me alone? Why can't I stop myself wanting to do it again?"

"Life's never easy," Ginny said, returning to her make-up, "but I promise, in the end the choice will seem like it was never even a choice at all."

As they descended the staircase into the common room, Hermione's thoughts were unnervingly jumbled, and by habit she was busy trying to compartmentalize them all, when Ginny's surprised shriek ripped her out of her daze and into reality. She focused and saw Ginny's red hair flying past her as she ran into the common room and threw herself on a grinning Ron.

"Hi," came a voice behind her, and she turned, beaming, to see a familiar head of messy black hair. She threw her arms around Harry with a squeal. "We got the night off to come and surprise you – McGonagall invited us."

"Oh, it's so good to see you both," Hermione said, and hugged Ron, who held her tightly. "How have you been? How's the Auror program?"

"It's amazing," Ron said, and launched into an explanation of their latest raid on an abandoned Death Eater hideout. Harry joined in enthusiastically, and the conversation took them all the way down the stairs and into the entrance hall, where they met Neville and Seamus, who both cheered and slapped Harry and Ron on the back. Hermione sighed in happiness. This, here, felt like Hogwarts. All of them together again, chatting and laughing while ghosts flew over their heads and the sound of music floated out of the Great Hall.

The illusion was abruptly shattered at the sound of another voice. "Hey, Hermione!"

She turned and smiled at Theo, who approached from behind her, flanked by Blaise and Malfoy, all wearing different shades of dark, silken dress robes. "You look lovely," he said with a smile, and her heart fluttered slightly at the compliment.

"You too," she replied appreciatively, then turned to her companions, intending to introduce them properly. She winced, though, at the look on everyone's faces; Harry flabbergasted, Ron downright furious mixed with hurt, Neville awkward and Seamus bracing as if a bomb was about to hit them all. Ginny was her saving grace, stepping over to Blaise and greeting him, albeit far more demurely than they usually would. Blaise seemed to take the hint and kept his hands off her, though Hermione was sure that wouldn't last long.

"What," Ron demanded, "are they doing here?"

"Well, Weasel," came a snarky voice from behind Theo, "we go to school here. I think the better question is why two accomplished _Aurors_ such as yourselves are hanging around at Hogwarts."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Malfoy. They're here to visit us."

"Glad to see some things haven't changed," Harry said faintly. "Mind explaining why we're chummy with the Slytherins now?"

"Because they're people too, Harry," Hermione told him firmly, her gaze sweeping over to Ron who looked about ready to kill someone. "Blaise and Theo have become good friends of ours this year, and Millie hangs out with us too sometimes."

"Millie?" Harry asked, nonplussed.

"Bulstrode," Hermione clarified, and Harry blinked.

"Look, Potter," Blaise said, stepping between them. "We haven't had the best past, it's true. Hermione believes, though, that we shouldn't let the past come between us, and I happen to agree." He held out a hand for Harry to shake. "You lost people you cared about for the sake of that sick bastard's crusade, and we did too. Most of us don't have parents anymore. I speak for all of us when I say we want to put it firmly behind us and move ahead with our lives. Do you?"

Harry regarded him for a moment, then sighed and took his hand. "You're right, Zabini. There's no sense in clinging to old prejudice and bad blood. Clean slate."

"It's Blaise," the Slytherin corrected him, grinning.

"Then it's Harry," the black-haired boy replied, and for a moment, Hermione found herself hoping it would all be okay.

As Harry turned to shake Theo's hand, though, Ron burst. "Have you all gone mad? They're Death Eaters! Death Eaters! They're the people we hunt down and incarcerate on a daily basis!"

Blaise firmly rolled up his left sleeve and thrust his arm under Ron's nose. "You see a Dark Mark there? I'm no more a Death Eater than you are."

"Well, we all know at least one of you is," Ron said pointedly, eyes glaring hatefully at Malfoy, who for once was not being his snide and unbearable self, instead shifting uncomfortably and rubbing his forearm through his robes.

"Oh for goodness' sake, Ron," Hermione snapped, "you think he was willing? You think any of them went through what they did because they wanted to? I'm sure you would have become a Death Eater too if they threatened your mother's life. Let it go. Please," she added, "for everyone's sake." She cringed inwardly at the thought of what would happen when he found out that Ginny was hooking up with Blaise, or that she'd kissed Malfoy.

Ron looked troubled, and set his jaw. "It's going to take some getting used to," he finally said, but held out his hand to Theo. Hermione felt a wave of relief wash over her. Small victories. Theo firmly shook Ron's hand, then Harry's, introducing himself with his twinkling smile that she found so alluring.

"Shall we go in, then?" Neville asked tentatively.

"Sure," Hermione replied, taking Harry's arm. "Where are the girls and Goyle, by the way?" she asked over her shoulder.

Blaise chuckled. "Pansy started her fourth layer of make-up just as we left, so she won't be close to ready for about another hour, and Millie and Greg are behind on their homework so they wanted to get it finished together. They'll be along later."

"Millie and Greg," Harry repeated in a low voice, and Hermione giggled. "How long has this been a thing?" he asked her, and she shrugged. "About a month. I thought it was time. You don't see how they're treated here, Harry, it's worse than you were when people thought you were lying about Dumbledore. I had to do something."

Harry broke into a fatherly smile. "That's you, Hermione. Always wanting to help people. Even some who don't want to be helped," he added, with a glance at Malfoy who was glowering at the back of their group, and she laughed. "Yes, we haven't made much progress there yet. Give it time."

"I'd be just fine if it never happened," Harry replied, just as they entered the Great Hall and Hermione stopped to drink in her surroundings. Growing up as a Muggle-born, she would still never take for granted how beautiful and incredible magic could be. Floating pumpkins lined the Hall, the candles above them an identical copy of the night sky, enchanted skeletons playing soft music from the stage by the teachers' table.

Before long, all animosity was forgotten as they dutifully drank some punch, danced and mixed under the watchful eyes of the teachers, setting the perfect example for the younger children as they knew they were supposed to. Harry was constantly bombarded with attention as expected, both welcome and unwelcome, but he managed it all much better than he had done in the past, smiling and chatting with each individual. Hermione danced with Ron, Pansy showed up looking very glamorous and pulled Malfoy onto the floor and out of his sulk, and all in all everyone had an excellent evening.

Soon enough the clock chimed midnight and bedtime was announced. They clapped the band and thanked the teachers, then departed in small groups, eighth-years of all Houses glancing at each other in a secret communication of a much more age-appropriate party to come. Laughing, Hermione dragged Harry and Ron up the stairs by their hands. They hadn't been to one of the Room of Requirement parties yet, and she was excited to show them how much fun they were.

That was when everything started to go wrong.

"Oh, just a mo," Ron said, stopping on the stairs, "I'd better go and get Gin, she'll want to join us. I think I saw her with one of the snakes about half an hour ago."

"Oh, Ron, I wouldn't," Hermione said, "she'll meet us there." She had seen Ginny leaving the Hall earlier on hand in hand with Blaise, and she was pretty sure that the youngest Weasley would _definitely_ not want to be disturbed by her brother right now.

"What's the problem, Hermione?" asked Harry inquisitively. "Surely she'd want us to wait for her."

Unwilling to reveal Ginny's pseudo-relationship for her, Hermione was forced to lie. "I think she already went ahead, I saw her going up the stairs with some people earlier."

"No, she was definitely in the entrance hall," Ron replied, now at the bottom of the stairs. "It's okay, it won't take a moment."

Hermione closed her eyes momentarily, trying to think of a way out of this, but she was too late.

"Hey, Ginny, we're – WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY SISTER?!"

The sheer volume of Ron's voice assured Hermione that her worst fears were confirmed, and exchanging a glance with Harry, she ran down the stairs two at a time, holding her dress so she didn't trip. Luckily, most of the younger students had already gone to bed with teachers supervising, so there were only a few stragglers around, most of whom hurried away from the scene. Ron was standing, ears red as a tomato, breathing heavily and pointing a shaking hand at Blaise, who was back against the wall with his hands up. Ginny stood to the side, looking dumbfounded and thoroughly mussed.

"Look, calm down," Blaise said, and Ron roared and drew back an arm to punch him.

" _Petrificus Totalus!_ " shrieked Hermione, pointing her wand just in time, and Ron fell to the floor with a thump. Blaise, who had braced for the punch, cracked open one eye and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin you're quick with a wand, Hermione. That would have hurt."

Ron's eyes were bulging, betrayal, anger and confusion swirling in equal measure. "I'm going to let you go, Ron, but you have to be calm," Hermione said in the same kind of voice Madam Pomfrey used when convincing people to take disgusting medicines. "You're not going to want to hear this, but I won't hesitate to hex you again if you try to punch anyone."

She released the charm and Ron scrambled up. "Where do you get off hexing me like that, 'Mione? He was attacking Ginny!"

"You idiot, he wasn't attacking me," Ginny spoke up for the first time, her usual confidence shaken by the situation. She looked at Harry with eyes full of apology that he'd had to find out this way. "We were snogging."

Harry's face didn't change, but Hermione noticed the twitch in his jaw that said she'd need to talk to him about this later. Ron was slowly turning even redder. "Snogging?! A Slytherin? Have you no shame?"

"Lay off her," Blaise said angrily, stepping forward. "I think you should respect your sister enough to know she can make her own choices."

"And I think you should respect her enough to leave her the hell alone," Ron growled, turning on the Italian. "Just go back to your pretty Slytherin girls and stop playing around with Ginny."

"What makes you think I'm just playing around with her?" Blaise raised his voice for the first time in Hermione's memory, and she saw some of the fiery Italian passion in his flushed face and sharp eyes. "Ginny and I care about each other."

"Oh yeah? That why you're feeling each other up in a dark corridor instead of out in the open? You're ashamed of her, admit it," Ron spat.

"We didn't do anything out in the open because we knew you would react like this!" Ginny yelled. "How do you think it would have gone if you'd been shouting at us in front of the whole Great Hall with the teachers watching?! The fact is, you're just going to have to deal with this because we-" she indicated between herself and Blaise "are not stopping anytime soon."

"Harry, what do you have to say about this?" Ron demanded insensitively, his anger still refusing to dissipate.

Harry sighed and looked long and hard at Ginny. "Is this why all this inter-House hanging out started happening? Because you two fancied each other?"

"No," Ginny replied truthfully. "I met Blaise at the first party the Slytherins came to and we've been…sort of together ever since."

"Sort of together?" Blaise raised an eyebrow. "Say it properly, Gin. You're my girlfriend."

Hermione could tell this was news to Ginny, but to give the girl her credit, she took it in her stride. "Yeah. We've been going out. I really like him, Harry, and I hope you can be happy for me."

Harry swallowed. "If you like him, you like him. Nothing to do with me, is it? For what it's worth, it doesn't bother me that he's a Slytherin. In fact, he's a nicer bloke than a lot of other people you could have ended up with. Take care of her, Blaise," he added to the Italian.

"I intend to," he replied seriously, and everyone looked at Ron, who was still taking heaving breaths.

"I'll find out what you're up to," he said defiantly. "I don't trust this. All of a sudden wanting to be your friends? Getting in good with my sister?" He turned to Hermione. "Tell me this is just her. Tell me you haven't been with any of the Slytherins."

Hermione blushed, and opened her mouth, but couldn't make the lie come out. "Not…really," she said lamely.

"NOT REALLY?! What's that supposed to mean?" Ron shouted, his temper flaring up again.

"I…look, can we have this discussion later?" Hermione said. At least his anger was off Ginny, she supposed, though she wished it wasn't on her.

"Where's that fucking Nott, I'm going to tear out his throat," Ron said, and started up the stairs.

"Wait, Theo? What?" Hermione followed him quickly, the others bringing up the rear, Blaise and Ginny holding hands. "What does Theo have to do with this?"

"She's with Zabini," Ron said, not slowing down, "and Goyle looks like a tree slug. So the only one of these damn snakes you could have been messing about with is Nott, and I'm going to kill him."

Hermione didn't know whether to reply or not, but luckily she was saved the decision.

"Oh, Hermione, you haven't," Harry said in horror, correctly reading her silence and stopping in the middle of the stairs. "Please, tell me you haven't."

"Haven't what?" Ron said, turning, then slowly it clicked, and his entire face contorted. " _Malfoy?"_ he asked, almost in a whisper. " _Malfoy?"_

Hermione felt like someone had punched her in the gut, with the way both of her best friends were looking at her. She bit her lip. "Um…look, please, let's discuss this in private. It's not anything, I swear, but you have to just listen to me."

Harry shook his head. "I'm done listening to you. Blaise, Theo, Bulstrode, Goyle – fine. Weird, but fine. Pansy? Questionable. Malfoy? Fucking Malfoy? Downright wrong. I'm not prepared to deal with this and I'm not speaking to you until I am. Sorry, Hermione. I'll owl you, okay?"

"We're not dating or anything," Hermione pleaded, "please, Harry, you have to understand. It's just…" she couldn't explain it. "It's nothing," she said, her hands dropping to her sides.

"Well, I hope 'nothing' was worth this," Harry said, gesturing around them. "I should have left him in the Room of Requirement that day. I should have left him behind."

"Harry," Hermione felt tears come to her eyes. "You didn't mean that. Tell me you didn't mean it."

Harry sighed. "No, I didn't. I'm sorry. But I need time to process this. Come on, Ron. I think it's time we went home."

Ron nodded, his eyes never leaving Hermione, and followed Harry down the stairs. Hermione felt tears fall from her eyes as Ginny and Blaise stood either side of her, offering her comfort, as she watched her two best friends walk out of the doors of the castle. She had never wanted to upset them, never wanted it to be like this. Malfoy and whatever weird chemistry she had with him had never been worth it.

"Malfoy?" Blaise asked her, and she realized with a jolt he didn't know.

"I'll tell you later," Ginny said to him. "By the way, are we officially going out? Was that a real thing?"

"I should hope so," Blaise replied with a wink, "given I've met your family now."

Ginny smiled. "One down, eight to go."

Blaise mock sighed, and then turned his attention back to Hermione. "You alright?"

"Er…not really," she said honestly, staring straight ahead and feeling numb. "I want to write to Harry and apologise, and tell him it means nothing. I want this whole episode to never have happened. What I want most of all is to go and get so drunk I can't remember it. Does that sound okay to you?"

"Fine by me," Blaise said, and Ginny nodded. "We'll look after you, alright?"

The rest of the party passed in a blur for Hermione. Firewhiskey shots, loud music, the faces of Neville, Seamus and Theo swimming in and out of focus – Theo looking so, so good in his dress robes – Luna's startling costume making her jump more than once, and finally, and most clearly, the warm, intoxicating, poisonous touch of Draco Malfoy, sequestered in a dark corner of the Room, exploring her with his hands and his mouth while she sighed and moaned and gave in to chaos.


	5. Chapter 5

_Dear Harry,_

 _I hope you and Ron are well. It's been almost a month now, please, I really want to hear back from you. I'm worried._

 _I know you've probably been destroying my letters without reading them, so I'm going to repeat this every time until I get a reply. Malfoy is nothing to me. It's not like Ginny and Blaise, we're not together, we're not even really anything. He just comes up to me when he's drunk and…well, it's hard to explain, but it feels like I'm letting go of a pressure valve. It won't last forever, and I still think he's a loathsome person, but…I need this, right now, because I'm lonely, Harry. I'm lonely._

 _I love you both so much, and I hope you're safe. Please write back to me when you get the chance. Ginny wants me to send you her best wishes and says she hopes she'll see you at the Burrow at Christmas in a few weeks._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

She sighed as she sealed the envelope. It was the fifth letter she'd sent so far, and there was no indication of if the boys were even reading them. She didn't think so, based on the lack of response, but she had to keep trying, or it was akin to admitting that their friendship was over. She didn't want that to be the case. She had continued things with Malfoy, true, and they were meeting on a semi-regular basis now – but she shouldn't have to give up one aspect of her life for her friends, and they shouldn't be judging her for her actions either.

Hermione wished she could go to the Burrow for Christmas, to try and reconcile with them, but she couldn't this year. Not only did she not think she'd be very welcome, despite Ginny insisting otherwise, but she didn't want to leave the castle and be reminded that her parents weren't there. As long as she was inside Hogwarts, it was easier to forget, to bury herself in books and take solace in the rest and relaxation and forget about Christmas altogether. That was much easier than facing the truth.

She attached the envelope to the leg of one of the school owls and watched it fly off into the morning sunlight. Maybe this time they'd reply. Or maybe she'd continue to send fruitless apologies for months to come. She put her head in her hands, slowly walking away from the Owlery and aimlessly towards where she was meeting her friends for the Hogsmeade trip. Where had it gone this wrong?

She and Malfoy had become somewhat of a regular occurrence now. She didn't know how or why it had happened, and she almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it. They weren't even on first-name terms, and every word that came out of his mouth made her angry; but kissing him felt too good to resist, and his personality didn't matter when all she was interested in was his body. She never thought she would be the kind of person who could carry on an affair like this without even getting to know someone first, but on some level she thought Ginny was right. She was tense, and she needed this outlet as a way to detox her failed relationship with Ron from her system. She didn't care for Malfoy, and she was sure she would have the willpower to be able to stop what they were doing the moment she wanted to.

Since they'd found out what she was doing, the other Slytherins had changed their attitudes a little. Only Blaise was the same as he'd always been towards her, and she supposed that was because he understood pretty well what she was doing, having done it himself in the beginning with Ginny. Pansy had become scathing, probably out of jealousy. Goyle now avoided her completely and Millie was more aloof than she had been, although in an apologetic sort of way that made Hermione believe she had been put up to it by one of the others. Theo was the most disappointing, though. Theo had almost stopped talking to her completely, his friendly smiles and sparkling eyes replaced with brief nods and excuses to hurry away. She didn't know what she'd done, but she hoped to have a chance to talk to him about it, because even putting aside the crush she'd developed, he'd been one of her closer friends in Slytherin and she didn't want to lose that.

She arrived in the entrance hall and found Ginny, Neville, Blaise, Seamus and Luna standing together talking. The other Slytherins were nowhere to be seen. She walked up to them trying to appear cheery, huddling her scarf up around her chin as the cold wind blew through the open doors.

"Hello," she announced.

"Ah, good, Hermione's here," Neville said with a smile. "We're good to go, then."

"Aren't the rest of the Slytherins joining us?" Hermione asked. "I thought we were all going to the Hog's Head for a drink."

"They went ahead," Blaise explained. "We stayed back to wait for you."

"Oh," Hermione was glad they'd waited. "Thanks, guys." Even in the worst case scenario, she knew she would never be completely alone, and that ignited a warm and happy little flame inside her.

The short walk to Hogsmeade was punctuated by occasional conversation and complaints about the harshness of the weather. Hermione needed to do the majority of her Christmas shopping today, so she spent most of the walk going over the people she still needed to buy for in her head. _Harry, Ron, Ginny, Molly and Arthur, George, Blaise, Theo, Neville._ After they'd had a couple of drinks, she planned to head out alone and shop for everyone at once, so she could wrap it all up tonight. She already had an idea of what to get the Weasleys and Harry, but shopping for Neville and the Slytherins would be a little harder.

They arrived at the Hog's Head and let themselves in, pulling off their scarves and jackets in relief as they entered the warm interior of the pub. Theo, Goyle, Pansy, Millie and Malfoy had a table over at the back, and Hermione still found it odd that instead of avoiding them as they would have done in the past, she and her friends actively pulled up chairs to join them.

"About time you got here," Pansy announced, "we're on our third round already."

"We've got some catching up to do, then," Blaise replied, and went up to the bar to order. Ginny settled down comfortably and Hermione sat next to her, very aware that Malfoy wasn't meeting her eyes and Theo was pointedly looking at the table.

"How was the walk?" Millie asked uncertainly, trying to spark up conversation.

"Nothing eventful. It's bloody cold out there, though," Ginny replied, hugging her shoulders. "I'm really glad we've suspended Quidditch practice for a while."

"Maybe Gryffindor has," Malfoy said snidely. "Slytherin are toughing it out. We were on the pitch this morning."

"Ugh, in this weather?" Ginny questioned. She was trying to be nicer to Malfoy, difficult as it was, now that he seemed to be a permanent fixture in their lives. "Well, thankfully we're not playing you until the summer, so I won't have to worry for a while! Who's your next fixture? Ravenclaw?"

"Nah, we have Hufflepuff in January," Malfoy replied, looking as if he was interested in the conversation despite himself. Hermione noted that the only thing he'd ever been really serious about in school was Quidditch. Maybe this was the way to get him to defrost.

"Oh! Want me to give you some tips?" Ginny asked excitedly. She was always keen to talk Quidditch. "Their new Chaser has this particular way of flying, she lists slightly to the left, so you can-"

Hermione tuned out as Blaise returned with their drinks and heartily joined in the discussion. She really didn't understand the Quidditch fascination. She looked around the table and saw everyone was in their own conversations except for Theo. She moved closer to him and he started.

"Sorry, Hermione, I didn't see you there, you made me jump," he said.

"Sorry," she replied. "I haven't spoken to you in a while so I thought I'd come and say hello. Are you doing alright?"

"Same as usual," Theo replied evasively. "Professor Sinistra is going to have to cut my Ancient Runes lessons coming up to Easter, apparently, because she won't have the time to teach extra credit in the run-up to NEWTs. Since I'm not taking the exam she can't promise me she'll keep the lessons up. It's a shame, I was really enjoying the subject."

"Is there really no way you could join the main group?" Hermione asked earnestly. "You have so many good ideas about the material, it would be a shame if you didn't get to finish the course."

"Well, if I gave up all my free periods and swapped my classes around then it's possible," mused Theo, "but then I'd have to take the NEWT and I don't know if I'm ready for that."

"You definitely could," Hermione encouraged. "It'd be tough, but I'd help you, if you really wanted to keep taking the class. You're such a good study partner, it'd be a pleasure to do assignments together."

Theo looked at her strangely, and she thought she could almost see a hint of a blush on his pale cheeks. He pulled at his hair and then ran his hand through it, in the way he always did when he was thinking hard. "I've never met anyone like you. Nobody ever tells me I'm capable of anything."

Hermione shrugged. "I like to encourage people to be the best they can be, especially academically. Harry has so much potential that he wasted by not concentrating. You're very intelligent, you have the capacity and the will to learn, so why shouldn't you be capable?"

Theo smiled into his drink. "Well, I'll think about it. Maybe it'd be a good idea to get an extra NEWT."

Hermione grinned at him. He was behaving almost normally. It was really nice to be able to talk to her friend again. "Have you done all your Christmas shopping yet, then?" she asked teasingly.

"I don't generally do any," he responded. "I'll be staying in the castle this year, so I probably won't have much to celebrate, anyway."

"You don't want to go home?" Hermione asked inquisitively.

Theo shrugged, his face sad. "No parents left anymore. Nott Manor is just a big empty house that has too many bad memories in it. I might as well be in a big empty castle with a few less. What about you? You going back to your parents?"

Hermione struggled to hold back the tidal wave of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her and simply smiled and shook her head. "No. Not this year. Normally I'd go to the Weasleys', but this year I'm going to stay at Hogwarts. It feels like the safest place, you know?"

Theo nodded. "I know. Well, at least we won't both be alone on Christmas Day."

Hermione grinned. "We'll have to build a snowman."

"A snowman?" Theo said, incredulous. "You know how cold snow is, right? Why would you go out in it voluntarily?"

"For fun," Hermione prodded his arm. "I'll go, and I'll get you to come with me."

"Good luck trying," Theo said with a smirk, and prodded her in return, tickling her. She laughed and moved away from his touch, expecting him to continue, but he didn't. Her laughter died down, and she noticed him glancing at Malfoy, who was back to sulking in the corner, glaring at everyone.

"Is he always like this?" Hermione asked Theo quietly, gesturing at the blond.

Theo sighed. "He's complicated. None of us like to push him too much because he's been through a lot, arguably more so than the rest of us. I just…don't want to upset him, that's all. He's my friend, and Slytherins need to stick together."

"Upset him?" Hermione quizzed. "I can't imagine that anything upsets Malfoy much. He always seemed to just be able to shrug things off without much trouble. Unless he was making a fuss on purpose."

"You'd be surprised," Theo sighed. "What Draco feels and what Draco does are generally two very separate things, and if you don't know him well it's hard to tell what he's really thinking. Then again," he added with a smile, "you've been getting to know him a lot better, I hear."

"I wouldn't say that," Hermione replied exasperatedly. "It's like…animal magnetism, or something. I don't really know. We don't talk, or hang out, or even like each other very much. It's all just a release of tension, I guess."

Theo looked troubled. "That doesn't sound very Hermione-like."

"Until this year, it wasn't," she affirmed. "I don't even know how it started, really. Just all of a sudden it did, and now we're here."

"Be careful," Theo warned her, his dark eyes serious. "Draco's complex. He'll say one thing and mean another, and like I said before, he really liked you for a long time. Make sure you don't get in over your head – I don't want to see either of you get hurt."

"Thanks, Theo," Hermione said with a kind smile. "I really appreciate you looking out for us. I'll be careful, I promise. I don't even know how long I want this to go on, anyway; it's beginning to feel, well, not very Hermione-like, to put it in your words. And it's caused problems with Ron and Harry."

Theo put a hand on her arm. His hands were large and soft, with perfectly manicured nails. "They'll come around, if they're your friends. And you have us now, as well. Whatever Pansy says, I know Blaise, Millie and even Greg are fond of you guys – and you know I'm never judging. I've got your back."

Hermione could remember back in first-year, when Ron was spouting off about the Slytherins on the very first night they'd been Sorted. Someone mentioned them, and Ron had proclaimed to everyone to never trust what a Slytherin said, because they'd find a way to stab you in the back later. Looking now at Theo's open, smiling face and thinking about Ron's misplaced fury with her, Hermione couldn't help but think of the irony. She put her hand over Theo's, her warm skin touching his, not even realizing how intimate the gesture was until she'd made it.

"You know I've got yours, too," she said, and Theo's warm smile melted her.

"Hey, you two," Ginny interrupted their moment. "Goyle and Seamus are having an arm-wrestling match, you really do not want to miss this."

"Ten Sickles on Greg," called out Theo, as they turned their attention to the group. Hermione felt Malfoy's hard stare on her for the rest of the time they were at the table but refused to engage with him. She wasn't interested – today, her thoughts were occupied entirely by someone else.

Later that afternoon, as she finished picking up the last of her Christmas presents, she fondled the package she'd bought for Theo with a smile. She'd spent a long time picking it out for him, and she really hoped he would like it. Every time she was near him, her heart started beating madly, and she found herself hanging on to his every word. She admired his clothes and the way his hair fell; the cologne he wore smelled amazing; and above all, she'd never felt so _comfortable_ with anyone else in the world before, except maybe Harry.

She came to the realization, while walking back up to the castle with Blaise and Ginny, that she really did like him. A lot. It wasn't just some passing crush. He was intelligent, and kind, and he liked her for _her._ Her heart swelled three sizes whenever he was around, and she would love to know what it was like to kiss him…

She hadn't thought about anyone this way since Ron in sixth year.

As she wrapped up Theo's package and wrote his name on it, she came to a resolution. By Christmas, she'd sort out her life. Now she knew that she really wanted something to happen with Theo. She didn't know if he even liked her, or if he'd be interested, but one thing was for sure; if she wanted any kind of proper relationship with him, this thing with Malfoy had to stop. Priority one.

Happy with her organized thoughts, she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, the last Sunday before everyone went home for the holidays, Hermione got up early and with a purpose. She put on her most confident clothes and practiced her stern face in the mirror, determined that this time it would be over for good. After a quick breakfast she headed straight to the Slytherin common room. It was only when she arrived that she realized she didn't know the password, and she'd need to wait for someone to come out so she could ask for Malfoy. Not for the first time, she cursed both wizards' inability to understand mobile phones and their uselessness within the walls of the castle. She really could have used one right now.

Before long, she heard someone coming, and prepared to stop them. Then, she saw it was Theo, and for some reason she found herself hiding away, her back behind a column, trying not to be seen. Why was she concealing herself? He was her friend, he would fetch Malfoy for her. The answer, of course, was that he was the entire reason she was here, but she didn't know how he felt about her, and she didn't want to make anything weird between them, should he find out that she was calling things to a halt with Malfoy for his sake.

After a moment, though, she was glad she'd hidden. Theo emerged from the doorway swiftly followed by Malfoy, and they seemed to be having an argument. She felt terribly guilty for listening in, but there was no way now to announce her presence without it being exceedingly awkward, and she couldn't leave without them noticing either. She would have to wait it out and pray nobody saw her.

Theo folded his arms and glared at Malfoy. "Now we've been kicked out of the common room. I swear, Draco, sometimes you can be the absolute worst."

Malfoy looked thunderous. "Shut the fuck up, Theo. This is your fault to begin with."

" _My fault?!_ " Theo said as though the concept was preposterous. "Draco, you are absolutely unbelievable. Why you can't just admit that you like her is completely beyond me."

Hermione froze and almost stopped breathing. Now she _definitely_ didn't want to be caught.

"You don't understand, Theo," Malfoy was shaking his head. "She won't – she isn't going to just accept that and carry on. Things aren't like that between us, they've never been, and there's too much history."

"So what, then?" Theo asked, hands on his hips. "Are you just going to keep snogging her in random corridors and at parties forever? 'Cause I don't think Hermione is the kind of person who wants that."

"How would you know anything about her?" Malfoy spat cruelly. "I know her better than anyone, even that idiot Weasley."

"Do you?" Theo questioned, looking straight into the other man's eyes. "Do you know what she likes to eat, where she goes when she wants to be alone, her favourite colour, the name of her pet, her middle name? Do you actually know anything real about her at all? Because from my perspective, and from all of ours, actually, it seems like you're treating her like a toy, not like a human."

Hermione blanched. This almost rang of the conversation she'd had with Ginny some weeks ago about Blaise. Except she had been the one in Theo's position, worried for her friend who seemed to be in an unhealthy relationship. Now she understood what Ginny and Blaise had been building towards, but was that even possible, with someone like Malfoy? With her, and Malfoy? She was inclined to believe not.

"Oh, fuck _off_ Theo with your pathetic crush," Malfoy said flippantly. "It's creepy how much you know about her. Just because I have her and you don't, you never could. Why would she even look at you when she could have me?"

Tears appeared at the edge of Theo's eyes, and his jaw twitched. "Don't you fucking dare, Draco. Just don't."

Malfoy didn't stop. He'd scented blood and was going for the kill. "Just keep on watching from the shadows, Theo. That's all you'll ever be good for, because let's be honest, all you've ever been is a less rich, less handsome, less interesting version of me. You could never fuck this up for me, I don't know why I was even worried for a moment."

The tears were now freely falling down Theo's cheeks and he angrily wiped them away. "You and I both know you're full of shit, Draco," he said, his voice hoarse, "but that might have just been the cruelest thing you've ever said in your life. Fucking think about the kind of man you want to be, and the kind of man she deserves. If I have to watch you together, at least try and be worth it."

Malfoy had the good sense to look at least a little ashamed of himself. "It doesn't change the facts. She's mine, so back off her, because I don't want your pathetic crush getting in the way of my-"

"Your what?" Theo asked, angry again. "Your pathetic crush, so pathetic that you can't even tell her how you feel when you're busy snogging her? You might think I'm just a shadow of you, Draco, and maybe in some ways that's true. At least I'd have the balls to actually fucking try, instead of carrying on with whatever pantomime you're convincing yourself is real."

"I was there _first!"_ Malfoy yelled angrily. "I've liked her since first year, you only noticed her after the Yule Ball when all those other idiots saw her too. I deserve this, I deserve her, and don't you fucking dare try to tell me I don't."

"You'll deserve her when you fucking man up and tell her you want her for real," Theo said resolutely, "but until then you're as much of a coward as you've always been, Draco. I'll stay away, because you've asked – well, told – me to. But if Hermione comes to me, upset about whatever shitfest of a relationship you're forcing her through, I'm going to damn well be there for her, because she's my friend, and her friendship means just as much to me as yours."

Theo abruptly turned and left, ducking back inside the common room and abandoning a seething Malfoy in the corridor. His hands were balled into fists, he was white and shaking, and Hermione was actually, for the first time in her life, scared of him. He took a deep breath and stalked off into the distance, and finally she was alone and could breathe again.

There would be no talking to Malfoy today. Even if she hadn't witnessed that, he was clearly in no mood to be told she wanted out, and she didn't fancy trying his rage. She scuttled back along the corridor and out of the danger zone, then slowly began to walk back to Gryffindor Tower, trying to organize her thoughts about everything she'd just learned.

 _Malfoy liked her._ Well, she'd known as much from Theo, but she hadn't really believed it until she saw Malfoy failing to deny it, standing there arguing with his friend as if he actually cared. It was difficult to comprehend, but he said he'd liked her since first year. That boggled her mind.

 _Theo liked her._ Theo liked her! That made her heart jump in her chest. She couldn't believe it. It sounded like he'd liked her for quite a while, as well – Circe, why had she gone with Malfoy of all people? This was only complicated because of her, but she was quite clear now on what she wanted, so it was up to her to untangle it – if Theo would have her, of course. After she'd been with his friend, he may not. That thought made her want to cry, because of course it had been Theo she liked, it was always Theo.

 _Malfoy had told Theo to stay away from her._ She didn't like that part at all. Not only because it wasn't Malfoy's right to limit her personal freedoms – they weren't even going out, for Merlin's sake – but because Theo was her rock, her close friend and the one person she wanted to see every day. How dare Malfoy take it upon himself to try to stop them talking, just because he was (rightfully) afraid of losing her? If he did, it would be because of his insincerity and his rudeness and his just _terrible_ way of handling everything, not because of her liking Theo.

She arrived back at her dormitory and threw herself onto her bed. Today had definitely not gone the way she wanted.

She didn't see Malfoy for the rest of the week before everyone departed, and on the one hand, she was very glad of it. Maybe he was losing interest – she could dream. Frustratingly, though, she hadn't even had a chance to indicate to him that she wanted things to end. She felt trapped by her own morals, and although she wasn't _with_ Malfoy, she had to concede that she should by rights tell him about Theo before she did anything.

She'd have to wait until after Christmas now, and that meant delaying telling Theo how she felt about him. From the way it sounded, though, he'd liked her since fourth year, so she hoped that he could hold on a little longer. _Wait for me, Theo. You have no idea how much I want you._


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione's first Christmas break at Hogwarts could not have started off better.

She'd been apprehensive about it, fearing that she would miss her friends and family, but in reality she was too caught up in the celebrations to even think about it. The teachers made a special effort to put on games and events every day for those who wished to participate, and each dinner was full of laughter and merrymaking on the small table in the center of the Great Hall. It felt just as fun as a stay at the Burrow, and in some ways it was even more special, as she was spending more time with people she wouldn't usually see during the holidays.

She was the only eighth-year Gryffindor who had elected to stay. Neville wanted to be with his grandmother and Seamus with his mum, Ginny had gone back to the Burrow, and Parvati had taken Dean home to her parents. Blaise had gone to Italy to visit his mother and the rest of the Slytherins had gone back to whatever shreds of their families remained, except for Theo. Luna was also gone, electing to visit her friend Rolf Scamander who was investigating a new species of magical bison discovered in Argentina. So, Hermione found herself alone with Theo for most of the holidays outside of the events put on by the teachers, and she had to admit, she had a brilliant time.

On the first day, she'd been worried because Theo had told Malfoy he wouldn't approach her. She didn't want to spend Christmas alone, so she decided to seek him out early and establish that she wanted to spend time with him, and hope that was enough to sway him. She found him in the Great Hall, watching a group of fourth-years eagerly trying to figure out the next clue to Hagrid's treasure hunt with an amused smile.

"Hey, you," she said, sitting beside him. "What are you doing?"

"Debating whether to inform these fourth-years that the clue they've been poring over for half an hour is, in fact, a decoy and the real one is under the table," Theo replied with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Did you hide it?" Hermione asked disapprovingly.

Theo looked at her with a face that said 'really?'. "As if I'd interfere. I just noticed it much earlier than they did."

"Perhaps you should have entered," Hermione said with a grin. "You'd probably win it."

"Play a treasure hunt alone? Yeah, no thanks," Theo replied. "I might be a loser, but I'm not _that_ bad."

Hermione giggled. "Well, I don't think you're a loser. But then, a lot of people think I am, so maybe that's not much of a compliment."

Theo laughed, his hair falling further over his forehead. "Maybe we can enter the next event together, if you want. Team Loser."

"Team Loser," Hermione agreed heartily, and turned to watch the fourth-years who seemed to finally have figured out that their clue was a dead end. "Should we tell them, d'you think?"

"Nah," Theo said, "from what I heard, you had to work out Triwizard clues in fourth year. Let them work it out themselves, they're capable enough."

They left the Great Hall together and from then on were inseparable for the rest of the holidays. They both finished all their homework in the first two days, wanting to get it out of the way, and Hermione greatly approved that Theo agreed with her work ethic on this. She'd never understood leaving something until the last minute, because it tended to overshadow the entire break. Harry and Ron had never seen eye to eye with her. Thinking of Harry and Ron, who still hadn't replied to her letter, made her heart hurt, so she shook herself out of it and focused on the friend in front of her, diligently working away on his Transfiguration project. She was disappointed in the way her two best friends had reacted, judging her decisions without even hearing her out and refusing to talk to her about it after the fact. She was glad she had Ginny, Blaise, Theo and the Gryffindors, whom she knew would always be on her side.

"You alright there?" asked Theo kindly, noticing she had stopped.

"Yeah, sorry," she said, shaking herself a little. His smile was open and genuine, and she found herself staring. Her heart ached to not be able to touch him. "Just got distracted for a moment."

"Do you want to take a break?" Theo asked, stretching. "I'm getting a little tired myself."

"No, it's alright," Hermione replied with a smile, trying not to look at the section of stomach he'd revealed by stretching. If she took a break, she'd only end up thinking more about Harry and Ron, or her problems with Malfoy, or how much she wanted to run her hands over that bit of midriff she'd seen. "I'll relax once it's finished. You feel free, though."

"Nah," Theo cricked his neck and settled back down, "there's no point if you're not, and I'll only end up being a distraction if I'm not working. You're right, we should get this done."

Hermione couldn't have possibly appreciated him any more than she did in that moment.

Soon enough it was Christmas Eve, and Hermione and Theo were eating breakfast together in the Great Hall. It was nice to be able to share meals with him, as they couldn't really do that in regular school time. She noticed his table manners were impeccable, probably the result of being raised in a Pureblood household, but it was something she could appreciate, how delicately he held his cutlery and the very little mess he left behind. She felt vulgar in comparison and that was saying something, as she had always taken manners very seriously.

"So what's the plan today?" Theo asked her with a grin.

"I told you before," Hermione replied, "we're making a snowman."

He groaned. "Do we have to? Can't you make it and I'll watch?"

"It's no fun if we don't do it together," Hermione pressed. "Come on, don't be a baby, I'll put a Warming Charm on you!"

"Fine. But only because it's you," Theo reluctantly agreed, and Hermione had to quell the rapid beating of her heart at the implication. It had been difficult to keep to herself what she'd heard in the corridor and how she felt about Theo, but although she didn't feel like she was _cheating_ on anyone – after all, she owed Malfoy nothing – she had always been very straightforward with people. It wouldn't be fair to Malfoy to suddenly start something without at least telling him about it, nor to Theo because it would drive a rift in between him and his friend. Though, she supposed, her intended course of action was going to do that anyway, likely as not, if what Malfoy had said about liking her was true.

Not long later, they were outside, laughing and playing in the snow. Their snowman was a miserable attempt, as it wasn't really thick enough to mould properly, and sort of fell apart in their hands. Hermione began to use Sticking Charms to hold the snow together, then accidentally stuck one to her hand and yelped and squealed from the cold until a hysterical Theo undid it for her. Still, they managed to construct what one might consider a sort-of shapely pile of snow, and Hermione proudly stuck a carrot she'd snuck from the table in the top of it and called it finished. The carrot, predictably, was too much weight for the sunken snow to handle and the entire thing promptly collapsed, triggering another bout of hysterical laughter from Theo. She loved his laugh; it was loud and clear as a bell.

They lay down in the snow, exhausted, and as the last of Theo's laughter died away Hermione sighed. "I've had a lot of fun today. Thanks, Theo."

"Honestly," he replied, a little breathless from laughter, "this is the most fun I've had in a really, really long time. Definitely the best Christmas I've ever had, no contest."

Hermione smiled happily. "It's definitely in my top three. I think the best one would have to be the one year my parents took me to Brazil. We spent Christmas Eve on a fabulous beach in the sunshine, and danced all night into Christmas morning." She remembered the place with a fond smile. That had always been by far her favourite memory of her parents, her twelve-year-old self sticking cocktail umbrellas in her father's hair while her mother laughed and danced with her.

"Why didn't you go home this year?" Theo asked seriously. She turned towards him, shuffling onto her side in the snow, and looked into his face. He was very close, and his cologne was tantalizing her. She took a deep breath for courage and answered him. He was her friend, and she felt comfortable enough now to discuss it.

"I don't really have anywhere to go," she admitted, her throat catching. "Harry and Ron are so angry with me about Malfoy that they won't speak to me, so I didn't want to make things awkward at the Burrow. And my parents…my parents don't remember me."

"What?!" Theo was alarmed, his eyebrows creasing into a concerned frown.

"I Obliviated them," Hermione whispered, unable to properly command her voice anymore, "and sent them away to Australia. They're Muggles, and defenceless – I couldn't let them be captured, or tortured or killed to get to me. I knew they'd be targets so I made sure they were safe. They have a whole new life out there, one where they've never had a daughter."

"Hermione…" Theo looked lost. "I can't imagine…"

"Yes you can," she said with a sad smile. "You lost your parents, too, didn't you?"

"I've never had a mother," Theo replied with a stoic mask on, "and my father was not someone I would ever miss. He made my childhood miserable – beatings and abuses every day. Honestly, I was more than glad to hear he'd been killed in the war, because it meant I was finally out from under his shadow. I can't imagine what it's like to have parents that love you, and to have to send them away like you did. You're so much stronger than I ever thought a person could be."

Hermione smiled weakly. "At least they're alive and safe, and I know they're happy. There are some people who can't say the same of their loved ones."

Theo balled his hands into fists. "So much unnecessary death…I understand why it happened, and that none of us would have been strong enough to stop it, but I just can't ever forgive myself for sitting by while it did. I was selfish. I only wanted Voldemort to lose because it meant my father would lose. That I'd never have to see him again. I was so caught up in my own tiny, insignificant life that I didn't even think about what it was costing other people."

Hermione put a hand on his, leaning further towards him. Their noses were almost touching. "Don't," she said quietly. "It's in the past now. We've all made our mistakes – Merlin knows I have – and it's time to move on from them and be who we want to be, not who we were."

"Be who we want to be, huh?" Theo murmured, his beautiful dark eyes roving over her face. "I've never known how to do that. At home I had my father telling me I was worthless, and at school there was Draco, who…" he looked troubled, and tailed off.

"Tell me," Hermione said softly.

"I don't want to cause any problems," Theo shook his head and rolled away from her a little. "He's my friend, and so are you, and it's not right to drive a wedge."

"Malfoy is perfectly capable of driving a wedge all on his own," Hermione replied, a little saddened that he wouldn't open up to her any more.

Theo smiled sadly. "Well, he hasn't managed yet, has he? I see no reason to expedite the process. Come on, let's head back to the castle, I'm getting hungry."

As he sat up and offered her his hand, Hermione could barely stop herself from just blurting it out in the face of his gallantry and his kind smile. _I want to end things with Malfoy. It's you I want, Theo. You're so much more important to me in every way, and I want to know you better than anyone else. I want to hear everything you want to say, and I want to hold you and touch you and kiss you and never stop._

She managed to control herself, but just barely.

Later that evening, they were sprawled out on the couch in the Slytherin common room. Theo had suggested they go back there and see in Christmas morning with a bottle of Ogden's, since he was the only Slytherin who was still at the school and they wouldn't be disturbed. Hermione had never been inside the common room before and she had marveled at the great underwater windows and the sight of the giant squid, which waved at her through the glass. She and Theo had shared the Firewhiskey, laughing and toasting, and she couldn't remember the last time she had had such a leisurely, fun experience. It was so _easy_ to be with Theo, everything flowed and clicked, and she was so grateful that she'd had the chance to get to know him as well as she did.

The clock chimed midnight, and Hermione raised her glass. "Cheers, Theo."

"Cheers," he replied, lifting his own, and they both finished their drinks and grinned.

"I'm so hungry," Hermione suddenly said, very aware that her stomach was empty. It was strange, because she'd had dinner not too long ago, but she was feeling decidedly peckish.

"We don't have any food," Theo said sadly. "Maybe there's some in the Christmas presents? Sweets and such?" he gestured at the pile of boxes that had appeared under the tree.

"No, those are for tomorrow morning," Hermione answered, refusing to entertain the idea of breaking the sanctity of Christmas presents. "Come on, let's go to the kitchens. Nobody will be around."

"You know where the kitchens are?" Theo asked, astonished.

"Since fourth year," Hermione replied with a grin, holding out her hand for him. She didn't know why she was doing it, but this was fun and it felt like an adventure, back in the early school days when she, Harry and Ron had sneaked about under the invisibility cloak. "Let's go, it'll be fun."

"I'm in," Theo replied, grabbing her hand and letting her lead him out of the common room. She didn't let go, and neither did he, so they ended up walking with their hands joined all the way to the portrait of the fruit. Hermione was very aware that he wasn't pulling away. Luckily it wasn't too far, and when they arrived she relinquished his hand and gestured triumphantly.

"Just tickle the pear," she said as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

Theo eyed her, incredulous, but to his credit he didn't question it and simply followed her instructions. The door to the kitchens was revealed in the wall and he grinned. "Oh, this is brilliant. Who knew that the Gryffindors knew where this was all along?"

Hermione smiled mischievously. "There's probably a lot you don't know about what we 'Gryffindorks' got up to."

"Wait, you know that nickname?" Theo asked in confusion as he followed her through the door, and she laughed.

Though the house-elves hadn't been too pleased to see her, something which she explained to Theo on the way back to the common room to his raucous laughter, they'd managed to get some sandwiches and cakes which they carried back with them. Upon arrival Hermione flopped back down on what she'd dubbed as 'her' sofa, and Theo followed suit, grabbing the bottle of Ogden's on the way down.

"Another round?" he asked.

"Let's make it a game," she suggested, inspired by the conversation they'd had on the way back from the kitchens. "You tell me something about yourself, a story or a fact, something interesting, and if I didn't know it I have to drink. Then I'll do the same."

"Alright, that sounds like fun," Theo agreed, and turned to face her, sitting up on the sofa. "I'll go first, then. My birthday is on January 18th."

Hermione took a drink. She hadn't known that about him, which was surprising. She made a mental note to get him a birthday present soon. "Alright. In first year, I smuggled a baby dragon out of the castle."

Theo didn't drink, his smile smug. "Nice try, but Draco told us all about that."

"Damn, I forgot he saw it all," Hermione screwed up her nose. "Alright then. Your turn."

"Hmm…it's been my ambition since the beginning of the year to be a teacher when I graduate," Theo said, and Hermione drank again.

"You never mentioned it," she said, shocked.

Theo shrugged. "It's probably stupid. The teachers here barely like us any more than the students, so I don't think they'd want me as part of the faculty. Not to mention I don't have great OWL results because at the time I didn't expect to have a career at all, so I don't really have much going for me."

"It's not stupid at all, I think it's great to want to do something with your life," Hermione argued. "And I think you're being too harsh on yourself. You have such a good way of discussing the subject material, and you have great insights, and you're a really hard worker. The staff will absolutely see that and Slytherin or not they'll have no reason to refuse."

Theo smiled. "I never tire of your ability to see the good in absolutely everyone."

"It's not exactly difficult when it comes to you," Hermione reasoned, missing the creeping blush that threatened Theo's cheeks. "Right, it's my turn, isn't it? Let's see…"

"Is it permitted to ask what I want to know?" Theo suddenly said. "I'll take a drink since I don't know the answer, or two even."

"I suppose for two drinks that's fair," Hermione replied, her heart beginning to beat faster again.

Theo downed two shots of the Firewhiskey, then took a deep breath. "Do you like Draco?"

Hermione shook her head. "From the very beginning I don't even know what I was doing. He was just sort of suddenly there, and nobody has ever kissed me before like he does. I was lonely and I wanted to have what Ginny has, and there he was offering it. It was stupid to carry it on. I was going to tell him I wanted to stop before Christmas, but…"

"But?" Theo pressed.

Hermione shook her head. "That's enough of an answer for one question, don't you think?" she said crisply, taking a drink herself. Her heart was pounding wildly and she'd come this close to revealing she'd overheard their conversation outside the common room that day. She really needed to keep her drunk self in check.

"OK. My turn, then," Theo said, his dark eyes looking straight into hers, inquisitive and daring, as if they were trying to burn through her soul. "Here goes." He took a deep breath. "I've liked you since fourth year, and still do."

Hermione was slightly shocked at his open and honest revelation, and her heart pounded hearing his confession out loud. To her. She was on cloud nine, but at the same time, she knew this was the moment to be honest with him. He'd found his courage and it was time for her to find hers. She set her drink down without taking a sip.

"You knew?" Theo gaped, his face showing a hundred different emotions. Then he put his face in his hands and curled over. "Fuck. You knew. I've made a total dick of myself."

"No, you haven't," Hermione replied in a small voice, then cleared her throat. "I know, only because I was there the other day outside the common room. I went down to tell Malfoy we were done, and then I heard you both talking, and I hid."

"You eavesdropped on us?" Theo slowly sat up and frowned. "That's not cool, Hermione."

"I know," she sighed. "It was wrong. I wanted to just see Malfoy, but then you were there and by the time I realized I should leave it was too late, it would already have been so awkward. I was a coward and I'm sorry."

Theo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I would've done the same, probably." He looked at her again, then, and his eyes were sad. "That means you've known for a week that I'm into you." It felt almost like an accusation, or a challenge.

Hermione moved closer to him, locking her gaze with his. His eyes were gorgeous. "I really like you, Theo," she confessed, and watched his breath hitch. "I have done for a few months. I just didn't know if you liked me back, or what you wanted, and I didn't want to cause a rift between you and Draco either. Then after I heard you say that you liked me, I was so happy, but I haven't had a chance to talk to Draco yet and…I didn't want to make a move to soon."

"You like me?" Theo asked, his breathing fast and his face disbelieving. "You like me. Me."

"You," she confirmed shyly.

"Fuck, Hermione," he said, dragging his hand through his hair, "you have no idea how much I've wanted to hear you say that since fourth year. It feels like a dream. This isn't a dream, right?"

"Of course not," she said, and raised a hand in front of her face. "See? Five fingers. In a dream your hands are all strange because your brain can't accurately recreate them."

Theo was shaking his head, a slow smile spreading over his face as he stared at her hand in wonderment. "Five fingers. I can't…I can't believe this. I've always just been second fiddle to everyone. Not as brawny as Greg and Vince, not as popular as Blaise, not as rich as Pansy, not as smart as Draco. It's…why would you pick me?"

Hermione shrugged, smiling. "We don't pick who we like. For the record, though, I don't think you're second fiddle to anyone. You have a lot of traits that the others don't, you're kind and gentle and honest and intelligent and handsome…you're Theo, and you're brilliant."

He swallowed. "Fuck Draco. I can't wait."

She knew what was coming and she didn't have the inner strength to stop him. His lips found hers, soft and gentle just as he was. She sank into it, running her hands through his hair, pressing up against him, kissing him over and over again. It was perfect. Their mouths fit just right, and she felt the explosive fire inside her that she'd never felt with Ron, and the depth of emotion and adoration she didn't have for Malfoy. It was everything, and she had never known a kiss could feel this good. His lips were so soft, and he was warm and his smell surrounded her, and she never wanted it to end.

Too soon for Hermione's liking, they broke apart, and he rested his forehead on hers, panting. "That was my first kiss," he admitted breathlessly. "Sorry if I wasn't very good."

"Without a doubt," Hermione replied, "the best kiss I've ever had."

Theo grinned, and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so happy," he said simply, and she agreed. There wasn't much else to say. She was happy too.

They fell asleep together on the couch, curled up on top of each other, Hermione reveling in the feeling of comfort and safety she enjoyed in his arms, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent. This is where she was supposed to have been all along, she knew that now. Theo was the whole package.

The next morning, she awoke blearily to see Theo's face grinning down at her. She smiled back. "Good morning."

"It was real," he whispered. "You're here."

By way of reply, Hermione simply leaned up and kissed him gently. He sighed as her lips touched his, closing his eyes and responding eagerly. She played with his bottom lip, and his hands ran lightly over her shoulders and down her sides, making her shiver in pleasure. She wanted him to touch her, and she wanted this to go further, but she needed to speak to Malfoy before it did. He needed to know that whatever they'd been doing was over and done with.

Theo drew back and his eyes fluttered open again. "Happy Christmas, Hermione."

"Happy Christmas, Theo," she replied, her hands not leaving the side of his face. She felt him grin into her touch, his muscles moving under her fingers. Even first thing in the morning, with his hair rumpled and his eyes tired, he was very handsome, at least in her eyes. How she could ever have thought there was anyone else for her, she didn't know.

Most of the destruction they'd left on the floor of the common room last night had been cleaned up by the elves, and the remnants of their midnight snack had been carefully put on a plate on the table. Hermione was grateful for it now because she was starving again, so she extricated herself from Theo's arms and grabbed a cake, offering him one as well. Instead of taking the one she held out for him, he leaned over with a grin and took a bite from hers.

Hermione shook her head in mock despair. "And here I was just thinking the other day how perfect your table manners were."

Theo barked a laugh. "My table manners are appalling by Pureblood standards. I don't even use dessert spoons."

Hermione laughed too. "You know what a dessert spoon is, that's an improvement over any of my normal dinner companions. Can you blame me for admiring it?"

Theo kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad for anything you admire about me."

Hermione blushed at the intimate gesture. "Shall we open our presents?"

Theo shrugged. "I don't think I'll have any, but I'd like to watch you open yours. It looks like they were summoned here."

Hermione grinned. "I know you'll have at least one."

Theo frowned, then crossed the room to inspect the pile. She followed him and saw him holding the package she'd wrapped with his name on it, stroking it fondly. He looked up and she saw pure gratitude in his gaze. "You got me something. I'm so sorry, I didn't get you anything, I didn't even think about it…"

"It's okay," Hermione plopped herself down in front of her presents with a smile. "It's not about getting something in return, I got it for you because I wanted to."

"You're incredible," Theo said, holding the box tightly to him. "This is the best Christmas I've ever had already. No competition."

Hermione smiled. "You know, after last night, I agree. This has topped Brazil."

Theo beamed. He carefully opened his present, not ripping the paper, and opened the box to see a beautiful eagle-feather quill, handcrafted and pristine. He stared at it in awe, pulling it out and twirling it in his fingers. It was then that he noticed the engraving on the shaft, in tiny golden letters; "Happy Christmas Theo, love Hermione."

"It's enchanted to be waterproof and it'll change the ink to whatever colour you like," Hermione said excitedly. "At the time, of course, I didn't know you wanted to be a teacher, but that seems like quite a handy feature now."

Theo couldn't speak. She could see from his face that he was completely overwhelmed. He leaned in and kissed her gently, and she relished it, enjoying how her heart seemed to leap out of her chest towards him every time. When she drew back she saw tears collected in his eyes. "It's beautiful," he whispered. "Thank you."

Hermione smiled, happy he'd liked it. She left him to examine the quill and turned to her own presents, opening them one by one. First was a jumbo pack of Chocolate Frogs from Ron, which was disappointing as she didn't like them very much, but she was at least glad that he'd thought of her. Harry had got her some Toothflossing Stringmints, which were her favourites, and gave her some hope that he might be on the road to forgiving her. She had the usual Weasley jumper from Molly, a scarf from Neville and a lovely brooch from Ginny in the shape of a cat, which was enchanted to purr and roll about. She held it close to her, thinking of Crookshanks who was currently living with Andromeda, and missing him terribly.

There was one more package there, and she looked at it curiously; she didn't know who else might have bought her anything. A brief hope flared in her heart that maybe, somehow, her parents had remembered; but then it was dashed when she turned it over and saw the initials on the bottom. DM. Malfoy had bought her a present. Oh, gods. She hadn't got him anything, assuming they weren't really at the present-giving stage of a relationship.

She opened it carefully with a shaking hand, and gasped. Inside was a beautiful first-edition copy of _Hogwarts: a History,_ bound in silk and secured with a rose. She pulled it out of the paper, trembling, putting aside the long-stemmed rose for a moment, and opened it to breathe in the familiar, soothing scent of an old book. It didn't help to calm her down though. She felt _awful._

She turned to Theo, who was holding the rose in his hand, having picked it up off the floor, and staring at it. "I don't understand…it's beautiful, but why?" she asked listlessly. "Why would he do this? We're not together, we're not even…not even friends…"

"Maybe," Theo said bitterly, "he actually took my advice. He's going to try to win you over, to tell you how he feels about you." His hand curled tighter around the rose and Hermione could see blood between his fingers. "I told him that, thinking it would be what was best for you both, that he'd actually man up and you'd be happier together, and I could fade into the background like I always have, because I didn't think there was a hope in hell that you'd ever choose me."

"Oh, Theo," Hermione said, reaching over to touch his shoulder. "It was you from the very beginning."

"Then why did you go with him?" he asked bluntly. "If you liked me as much as you say – as much as I like you – then why are you fucking around with Draco?"

"Hey, don't speak to me like that," Hermione replied, irritated. "I didn't initiate anything with Malfoy. _He_ always came up to _me,_ and I was so lonely, and you told me he liked me, and I just got carried away in the feeling of actually being wanted. I never knew you liked me, you never gave me any indication, or of course I'd never have done anything with him."

"Oh, so it's _my_ fault?" Theo asked, more aggressive than she'd ever seen him. She knew he was hurting, and upset, so she tried to be patient even though she was feeling guiltier than she ever had in her life.

"No," Hermione said, frustrated, "it's mine and I know that. I'm trying to fix it."

Theo's shoulders slumped, and he dropped the rose to the floor, his own blood running down his hand. "I don't think there's any fixing this now. Do you realise what this gesture means? Draco never buys presents for anyone, ever. He never even gives any indication to anyone of how he's feeling, because he thinks feelings make you weak. For him to show this much affection – he must seriously want to be with you. Fuck," he said, punching the floor, "I've really fucked up."

"No," Hermione said firmly, "I'm the one who's fucked up." She didn't usually use coarse language unless she was drunk, but in this situation there was no other way to describe it. "I'll tell him it's over. I'll Floo to the Manor right now and tell him."

"No!" Theo cried, standing up and barring the fireplace. "You can't. You don't know how much this means to him. It'll kill him. I can't do that to my friend, I can't."

"Then what?" Hermione asked him, hands on her hips. "Should we just be unhappy forever? I don't want to be with Malfoy, I want to be with _you."_

"No offence, Hermione," Theo said with a humourless laugh, "but you should have thought of that before you got his hopes up. He's right, he _did_ like you first, and he _did_ make the first move. I'm a coward and I didn't do anything about it, and you – you were enjoying yourself with him. Before we fucked it all up last night, you two could have had a shot."

Hermione shook her head vehemently. "He was only ever a coping mechanism, an escape," she protested. "You're everything to me."

Theo's sad gaze told her everything she didn't want to know. "It doesn't matter. The only way to fix this is to remove 'us' from the equation. How I feel is – should be – irrelevant, because from the beginning this was about you two. He might have just been an escape, but he could have been more than that, if he had tried, if he had shown you how he felt. Now he _is_ trying, for the first time ever, and I can't be the one to break him. You need to give him a chance."

"No!" Hermione shouted. "What about what _I_ want?"

"You'll be happier with him," Theo replied, looking like he was about to cry. "He's better looking, richer, more popular, smarter, and more experienced than I am. I can't offer you anything except an empty manor and a second-rate existence, because that's all I've ever been. If you give him a chance – let yourself fall for him, because I know you could – you'll be a lot happier, in time."

"Theo," Hermione pleaded, "don't say those things about yourself. Please. I could never be happier with Malfoy, because he's not _you._ "

"No," Theo said flatly, collapsing on the sofa and putting his head in his hands, "he's better. Just – please, leave, this is too difficult for me. Promise you'll try with Draco, because he deserves a real chance with you. He was brave enough to try first, and I fucked it up for him."

Hermione took a deep breath and gathered up her things, stuffing them inside her bag and trying not to cry. She knew she'd really messed up by being with Malfoy at all in the first place, but now she was going to lose Theo after she'd only just found him? She'd fix this. Theo may not believe it could be done, but she would find a way that they could all come out of this okay, even Malfoy. She glanced at Theo one more time, sitting alone on the couch, his shoulders shaking.

"I've chosen you, Theo," she said softly as she was leaving. "I'll speak to Malfoy, but I'm not going to promise I'll give him a chance. I'm never going to let him touch me again. Please remember that you deserve to be happy too."

Theo didn't reply or even acknowledge he'd heard her. She sighed and left, frustrated, angry and heartbroken. She wasn't despairing, though. If there was one thing Hermione Granger could do, it was solve problems, and this was just one giant, messy emotional problem to be solved. She just had to view it like she would an assignment, or a logic puzzle, and she'd find the solution. She had to believe that was true, because if she considered the alternative – the possibility that she might never get the chance to kiss Theo ever again – she felt like she was going to break in half from the inside.

She hadn't wanted to go to the Burrow, hoping that she'd be able to spend Christmas Day with Theo, but right now she didn't want to be alone. She headed up to Gryffindor Tower, intending to use the fireplace there and the spare Floo powder she carried in her bag to go and visit Ginny, and thank the Weasleys for their presents. She was glad that Theo had prevented her from Flooing straight to Malfoy Manor – she didn't think she'd be welcome there, and Malfoy himself certainly wouldn't have appreciated being dumped on Christmas Day. If you could even call it dumping.

She thought of Theo, sitting alone on the couch, and her steps faltered, and she almost turned back. Could she really leave him like this? He didn't deserve such pain. She desperately didn't want him to be alone. A thought occurred to her, and she continued towards Gryffindor Tower quickly, intent on getting to the Burrow as fast as possible.

She showed up in the familiar kitchen fireplace not long afterwards, fake smile plastered across her face. "Hello!"

"Hermione, dear!" Molly was busy with the stove, but the moment Hermione called out she dropped the pan and wiped her hands on her apron, bustling over to catch her in a hug. "We didn't know you were coming!"

"I thought I'd surprise you," Hermione said, hugging her back.

"Oh, how lovely, I'm sure everyone will be so excited to see you," Molly gushed, "they're all through in the living room. Oh, and your jumper fits perfectly," she added, pleased to see Hermione was wearing it.

"Mum! When's dinner?" a familiar freckled face appeared in the doorway. Hermione smiled at Ron, hoping he wasn't still angry, but he saw her, then resolutely ignored her, turning back to his mother.

"Ronald, Hermione's here, aren't you going to say hello?" Molly asked, bristling. "I won't have rudeness in my house."

"Hello, Hermione," Ron repeated mechanically, not looking at her. "When's dinner, Mum? George and I are starving."

"Oh, about an hour, I expect," Molly replied, busying herself over the stove again, clearly unaware of the tension between them. "Go and sit down, I'll call you as soon as it's ready."

Ron promptly left, and sensing she was dismissed, Hermione followed him awkwardly. In the living room sat Harry, George, Percy, Bill, Arthur, Ginny, Fleur (who was feeding her daughter Victoire), and, surprisingly, Blaise, who waved hello as she entered.

"Hi, everyone," she said a little meekly.

"Hermione!" Ginny jumped up and hugged her. "Great to see you, I'm so glad you came. Nice jumper."

"Same to you," Hermione replied, as Ginny was wearing a matching lumpy article. She greeted each of the Weasleys in turn, and Harry, who looked shocked to see her, then turned to Blaise. "Can I borrow you for a moment?"

"Oh, this sounds like gossip," Ginny said, and followed them out of the room. They went into the hallway and Blaise leaned against the wall. "What's up?"

For the first time since arriving at the Burrow, Hermione let her smile fall off her face. "Blaise, I need you to go to Hogwarts."

"Why?" Blaise asked suspiciously. "I'm supposed to be going back to Italy in about an hour, I only came by quickly to see Ginny and meet the other eight Weasleys."

"Seven," Ginny corrected him, "Charlie's not here."

"Please," Hermione interrupted, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Ginny looked startled at how upset her friend was and put a hand on her shoulder, concerned. "We – _I –_ messed up really badly, and Theo is alone in the Slytherin common room right now. He needs a friend and he doesn't want to see me."

"Oh for fuck's sake," Blaise cursed, putting a hand over his face. "What happened? Did he come on to you or something? I knew you two being in the castle alone for a week could only end in tears."

"Wait, Theo likes Hermione?" Ginny asked, brightening. "That's great news!"

"Wait, so Hermione likes Theo?" Blaise questioned. "Then what on earth's the problem? Why aren't you back at the castle with him right now?"

"Malfoy," sobbed Hermione.

"I thought you said you didn't like Draco? That it was just snogging?" Blaise asked. "I'm so confused."

"It was," Hermione said through her tears, "until he gave me this." She pulled the beautiful book and the rose out of her bag and showed them. Blaise let out a low whistle and Ginny looked troubled. "I was going to call things off with Malfoy before Christmas, but I didn't get a chance to speak to him. Then Theo and I were drinking last night, and we ended up kissing, and I told him I want to be with him, it's always been him. He was happy, and then – this morning – this happened, and now he wants me to go with Malfoy instead of him, and I can't convince him otherwise."

Blaise sighed, turning the book over in his hands. "The one major flaw Theo has is that he always sees himself as inferior to those around him. He's had a major self-esteem complex for years, made worse by Draco and I being tits to him when we were younger. Now that Draco has expressed a real interest in you, he thinks he's doing you both a favour by becoming a martyr and stepping aside to let you be happy. It's understandable from his point of view, but unfortunate."

"I'm going to fix this," Hermione said determinedly. "I don't know what Malfoy is thinking, because Merlin knows we could never work, but the minute school starts again I'm going to tell him we're done."

A shadow crossed Blaise's face. "I don't know how well that will go down," he explained. "This is the first time Draco has ever reached out to someone like this. You really have an effect on him, and he's been trying hard to be better recently. Breaking it off without even giving it a try might kill him. And Theo wouldn't thank you for that, either."

Hermione buried her head in her hands. "Then what do I do?"

Blaise laughed humourlessly. "Got a Time-Turner?"

"Not anymore," Hermione wailed.

"Wait – anymore?" Blaise asked, then stopped at a look from Ginny. "Alright. I'll help. We'll sort this. I'm going to Hogwarts now to make sure Theo's not imploded, and then I'll stop at Malfoy Manor to see if I can talk any sense into Draco before I head back to Italy."

"Thank you, Blaise," Hermione said weakly. "I'm sorry to have ruined your Christmas."

Blaise waved a hand. "This is nothing. I'm Italian. We love drama."

He kissed Ginny goodbye and went to bid farewell to Molly. Ginny rubbed Hermione's back sympathetically. "We'll sort it out, I promise," she said. "I feel kind of responsible for this, I'll admit, so I want to help you fix it."

"How are you responsible?" Hermione choked out a hollow laugh. "This is all my mistake."

"I told you to go for it," Ginny sighed. "I encouraged you to go with Malfoy in the first place, even though I knew you liked Theo. I thought you needed someone, but you're not like me, you're Hermione Granger. You don't need anyone. If I hadn't given you that advice…"

"I probably would have ended up going with Malfoy sooner or later," Hermione admitted sadly. "I was lonely, and I didn't know what Theo thought of me, or at that stage how much I even liked _him;_ and Malfoy was so persistent, he actually wanted me, and Harry and Ron got angry at me…it was just a perfect storm," she explained, tears threatening to appear again. "I just want Theo back," she finished listlessly.

"It'll work out, I promise," Ginny was trying to be comforting, Hermione knew, but her words sounded empty. How could they realistically be anything else? This was between her, Malfoy and Theo, and in the end they were the only ones who could change anything.

"Uh…Hermione?" a familiar face appeared in the doorway, and Harry shuffled in, looking sheepish. "I came to look for you…I heard the end of that. I'm really sorry I walked out on Halloween. I didn't realise it had been like that for you, that Malfoy was the one who sought you out, and I shouldn't have overreacted the way I did."

"If you felt like that, why didn't you answer my letters?" Hermione sniffled.

"What letters?" Harry asked, genuine surprise passing over his face. Then he slapped his forehead. "Oh Merlin, I forgot to tell you, I've changed the wards on Grimmauld Place. Your owls wouldn't have reached me. I'm so sorry, I meant to give you the written address for the Fidelius charm when I saw you, but then everything happened and I forgot."

"Oh," Hermione said weakly, "I thought you just ignored them all."

"Merlin, no!" Harry sat down on her other side and grabbed her hand. "I was annoyed, but not that annoyed. Ron is still…well, Ron's Ron. I'd long since forgiven you and was really sad that you weren't going to be coming today."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione sobbed, and launched herself into a hug. He held onto her, rubbing her shoulders. "I'm so glad we're still friends."

"Always," Harry said seriously.

Hermione drew back and smiled weakly. "I've really screwed up this time."

"I heard," he said. "Theo Nott? Really?"

Hermione nodded earnestly. "I really, really like him, Harry. And he's sad now because of me."

"If you like him enough, it'll work out in the end," Harry promised her, and she leaned into his shoulder for comfort and found herself really wanting to believe him.


	7. Chapter 7

Soon enough, everyone returned to the school, classes picked back up and everything returned to normal. Hermione didn't really see the Slytherins during the first few days of class, though a quick conversation with Blaise after breakfast one day had her confirming that, at the very least, Theo was doing okay. She hadn't heard from him at all for the rest of the holidays, nor had she really expected to, but she was glad that Blaise had it in hand. She missed him terribly, but this was her mess and she had to take responsibility for it. Soon, it'd be over.

Malfoy approached her before dinner on the fourth day. "Granger."

She turned, almost dreading the upcoming conversation, even though she knew it was one they needed to have. "Malfoy. Shall we go and talk somewhere private?"

"I think that's a good idea," he replied, and for the first time she noticed he actually looked somewhat nervous. That was unusual. Normally he was absolutely full of himself.

She followed him into an empty classroom and as soon as the door was shut, he pounced. His lips were on her like fire, but this time although his kisses were as passionate and thrilling as ever, all she could think about was Theo. Malfoy didn't taste like him, didn't kiss like him, didn't feel like him. It wasn't right. She spluttered and backed away, and Malfoy frowned.

"What's the problem?" he asked sharply.

"I – I don't want to do this anymore," Hermione said uncomfortably.

He laughed, though the nervousness was still pouring off him in waves, and she could tell that he was worried. "Come off it, Granger. You love this."

"Look, Malfoy," she began, but he cut her off with another forceful kiss before she could formulate any words. It was hungry and desperate, like he was a dying man, and she was his only source of life. She pulled away with difficulty and started again. "Malfoy-"

He darted forwards and tried to seal her lips again, but this time she was too quick for him. "Malfoy, STOP!"

At her raised voice he paused, and she could see for the first time some real emotion in his eyes. He really did _not_ want her to say what they both knew she was about to say. He sighed. "Can I speak first, then, Granger? Hermione," he corrected himself, and her jaw almost hit the floor. He took her silence as a cue to go on, and pulled himself into a sitting position on one of the empty desks.

"Look," he said, "this isn't easy for me. This-" he gestured between them, "I've wanted this for a really long time. I didn't – I couldn't – say or do anything about it until this year, but after so long it's difficult for me to properly express myself. I prefer to do things a more physical way. It's – easier for me, than talking about feelings."

Hermione found herself nodding. This wasn't anything like the Draco Malfoy she knew. This was a person she would actually feel bad hurting. The thought was like a knife in her chest.

He went on, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I sent you that Christmas present, which I hope you liked, by the way, to show you that you mean more to me than just some random snog in a corridor. I want to mean more to you than that, too."

"Draco…" Hermione began, the word sounding odd on her lips, but at her warning tone he held a hand up. "Let me finish, please," he said.

"Look, I know that – that we haven't had the best past. I know that I have been a total twat. I also know that you have no reason to want to give me a real chance. That's all I'm asking for, though, Hermione – a chance. I'm not a great boyfriend, and I can't express my feelings very well, and I'm snarky and standoffish and I hate your friends. All this is true. But I'm not denying any longer that I care about you and I want to actually try. I'm putting myself out there."

Hermione felt like the worst person on Earth. She closed her eyes, not even knowing what to say. This wasn't the Draco Malfoy she had been prepared to reject. She felt like the tables had suddenly been turned on her at the last minute. She opened her mouth, still not sure what she was going to say even as the words came tumbling out.

"I can't do this, Draco," she said, and she saw him visibly deflate.

"Why?" he demanded. "Why aren't I worth a chance?"

"It's not you," she said, desperate not to look into his hurting face, "I like someone else." She was very careful not to mention Theo, remembering how angry Draco had been with him during their argument. Better that he not find out right now.

"Someone else?" Draco echoed, frowning. "We've been doing this for months now. I've never seen you with anyone else."

"It's a fairly recent development," Hermione admitted. "I kissed him over the holidays."

Draco looked irked, then jumped off the desk and paced up and down. "And you and this other guy – are you going to go out?"

"I don't know," Hermione answered truthfully. "I know I want to, but things are complicated."

"Complicated," Draco snorted. "Another way of saying he doesn't care enough. I do. I've cared enough to try and to actually throw my pride on the line for you. You like him, but it seems like he doesn't deserve it, or else he'd throw himself at your feet to be with you, like I would. Like I have."

"It's not that easy," Hermione protested, disliking the way he was talking about Theo but finding it difficult to disagree, "he doesn't want to cause any trouble."

"Trouble?" Draco's eyes flashed dangerously. "I'll give him trouble no matter what happens at the end of this conversation. I don't share, and the fact that he even managed to capture your attention is enough to make me hate him." Hermione gulped. She was very glad she hadn't told him who it was.

Draco walked up to her, very close, and she looked into his eyes. The stormy grey she remembered was full of swirling regret and sorrow. "I'll give you some time to think about it," he said. "It's – difficult for me, to speak so candidly, so forgive me if I'm a little more closed off around our friends. Are you coming to Theo's birthday party, on the 18th?"

Hermione hadn't even known there was one, but she didn't want to arouse Draco's suspicion as to why she wouldn't be invited to their close friend's birthday. "Of course," she said, "but Draco-"

He put a finger on her lips. "Think about it, and tell me then."

She opened her mouth to argue. This needed to be over, here and now. "I'm not going to change my mind, Draco. I'm sorry."

Draco nodded, not seeming fazed. "Tell me at the party. I'll give you this to remember me by." He drew her into another searing kiss, the familiar poison spreading through her and making her tingle. She resisted him, praying he wasn't using Legilimency and thinking of Theo's face in her mind's eye. This was for Theo. She was breaking Draco's heart, for Theo's sake. She had to be strong.

Draco broke away and left without another word. She let out a long breath and leaned against the wall. January 18th – that was about two weeks away. Hopefully then, Draco would actually listen to her. In the meantime, she needed to get Theo a present. She wasn't going to stop caring about him in the way he obviously wanted her to, and maybe getting him something meaningful would help convey her feelings.

She headed out of the room intent on getting to her Ancient Runes class quickly. She really didn't want to be late. She slid into her seat just ahead of time, and was shocked to see a painfully familiar figure two rows ahead.

"Theo!" she called, almost without thinking.

He turned around, his face schooled carefully into a neutral mask. "Hermione. Nice to see you."

"You decided to take the class," she said, her eyes shining. He swallowed, clearly repressing something, and nodded. "Yeah. I think you're right, I should focus on the future as if there is one. If I want to be a teacher, getting as many NEWTs as possible seems like the way to go."

Hermione beamed at him. She was genuinely so pleased to see that he was taking her advice and actually believing in himself, getting on with classes and striving to succeed regardless of what was going on in their personal lives. Yet another trait she shared with him. She held her tongue, though.

Surprisingly, Theo was the next to speak. "Thanks," he simply said, his face giving nothing away. "For sending Blaise, on...on Christmas. I appreciate it."

Hermione's heart broke in half all over again, but she hid it with a smile and a nod. Nothing else needed to be said on that topic, so instead she simply asked, "By the way. Draco mentioned it's your birthday party in a couple of weeks. I understand if I'm not invited, but he wanted me to go along for a little bit and meet him to talk about some things, I hope that's okay. I'll try not to disturb you."

"Of course you're invited," Theo said a little too quickly. "I'd be glad to see you there."

At that moment, Professor Sinistra walked in, so Theo turned his attention to the teacher. After the lesson, he practically fled the classroom before she had even packed up her bag. She sighed. At least he was doing okay, and she was thrilled that he was taking the extra course. He owed it to himself.

The date of the party rolled around all too soon. Hermione had spent the last two weeks in a state of constant anxiety, worrying about what she'd say to Draco and how to manage it. Her interaction with Theo had been limited to awkward glances and stilted occasional conversations in Sinistra's class, and she hated it. She was desperate to fix this whole mess, but at the same time, she dreaded telling Draco that she didn't want to be with him, knowing that he would absolutely ask for the name of the man she'd left him for and unsure if she was able or willing to lie directly to his face. The last thing she wanted was to cause any trouble for Theo, specifically after he had told her to give Draco a chance.

As usual, Hermione and Ginny got ready together. Parvati was barely ever around anymore, her and Dean having become thick as thieves over Christmas, so they basically had their own dorm now just to the two of them. Ginny joked that it was a lot nicer than sharing her room at the Burrow. Tonight, Ginny was on wingman duty, and she was trying to encourage Hermione, telling her she could do it, promising her she'd have her back if Malfoy kicked off, saying that she knew Hermione and Theo would come out of this together. Hermione smiled and nodded, hiding the churning insecurity and fear that pumped adrenaline through her veins and made her shake with anxiety.

They met Neville and Seamus in the Gryffindor common room. Those two had seemed to be spending a lot more time together recently, though Hermione still didn't know whether to credit Parvati's suspicion that they were actually going out. She thought it was more likely that they were simply hanging around together because she and Ginny had been involved in their own things and Dean and Parvati had coupled up, so they had kind of just been drawn together. Seeing how close they were standing, though, and sensing some kind of odd atmosphere between them, she was prepared to be proven wrong.

The four of them headed out together and chatted on the way. It was all very superficial, and Hermione guessed that there was a lot more going on under the surface for everyone, because none of their hearts were really in the conversation. _What great birthday cheer we'll make,_ Hermione thought glumly. They pushed open the door to the Room of Requirement and were immediately shocked at what was inside.

It was like a dance club. Normally their parties were a lot more casual, with low music, a drinks table and couches; this time, though, there was barely anywhere to sit, the lights were low and the music loud, and it reminded Hermione of those school discos she had used to go to when she was a little girl; except _nothing_ was age-appropriate for children. A stacked table of all sort of alcohol was at the back of the room, Pansy's dress was barely even covering her nipples and there were two or three eighth-year couples, including Dean and Parvati, grinding pretty hard on the dance floor. Hermione whistled. So it was _that_ kind of party, then. She suddenly felt both underdressed and unprepared.

Theo came up to greet them as they entered. "Sorry about this," he said to them in a low voice, "I let Draco and Blaise organize it all, it's not really my type of thing."

Hermione had surmised as much. "It's alright, I'm sure we'll have fun," she said, and held out his present. "Happy birthday!"

"You didn't have to get me anything…" Theo sounded awkward.

"Well I wanted to, so I did," Hermione replied, determined not to let him be awkward, sticking her tongue out playfully. He smiled weakly and took it from her, his fingers fondling the paper as he'd done at Christmas.

"Thanks," he said sincerely, and she smiled. Their eyes met for a moment, then he looked away. Neville coughed behind them.

"Shall we go and get some drinks?" asked Ginny brightly, and grabbed Hermione's arm, dragging her away. "You were being far too _obvious_ given that a certain _someone_ is right over _there,_ " she hissed, punctuating her sentence with emphasis and leaving a bewildered Neville and Seamus to follow.

"Is – is something going on with you two?" Seamus asked, motioning back at Theo who had turned to talk to Millie and Goyle.

Hermione sighed. "Get about five more drinks in me and then I might tell you."

Seamus grinned. "Then let's get started."

Hermione elected to stay with her friends instead of seeking out Draco immediately. She would need some proper liquid courage for this, anyway, and she didn't want to make it seem like she was anxious to get it over with, even though her mind was screaming at her to just do it. Instead she spent most of the night in a corner with her friends, getting ever drunker. Blaise joined them soon afterwards and took Ginny away to dance, so she continued taking shots with Neville and Seamus until the room swam and she could barely form a conscious thought. This had made the party _much_ more enjoyable.

Suddenly she felt a wave of nausea coming up and had to excuse herself, running into the adjoining bathroom that the Room had created. She stood over the sink, taking heaving breaths, trying desperately not to be sick. Soon it passed, and she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked _really_ drunk. Her hair was everywhere, though that was nothing new, her dress had slipped a little down her shoulder and her face was full of the happy glee of someone who is absolutely sloshed. She almost giggled at the sight – she'd never seen herself in such a state.

A loud cheer sounded from the other room, and she shook herself and went to see what was going on. Her eyebrows shot through the roof when she looked back at the spot she'd been standing in and saw Neville and Seamus making out ferociously. Well, it seemed she'd most definitely been proven wrong. Whistles and catcalls echoed round the room, and the two men broke apart, grinning widely, then turned to the assembled crowd and took a small bow, Seamus laughing, Neville grinning guiltily. Blaise clapped them, and Theo raised his glass with a nod and a smile, then everyone slowly went back to their previous business.

Hermione approached the pair, grinning from ear to ear. "So? Is it official?"

"Yeah," Neville replied, not letting go of Seamus's hand. "We've been dancing around it for so long, it just seemed like it was time to man up and do it."

"Speak for yourself," Seamus muttered, nudging him playfully, "I would have gone for it before Christmas."

Neville laughed. "Alright, so it was mainly me."

Hermione surprised them both by jumping onto them with a big double-armed hug. "I'm really happy for you both," she said, drawing back and beaming at them. They exchanged a glance, obviously considering her to be far too drunk to be making sense. She took a deep breath. "Carry on making out," she ordered, "I've got something I have to do."

"No complaints," replied Seamus, turning to Neville, but Neville hit him on the shoulder. "Hermione? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said, and she actually meant it. She felt calm. Prepared. Bold, even. "You've inspired me. I'm ripping off the Band-Aid."

Neville was completely nonplussed, having no idea what a Band-Aid was, but Seamus, whose father was a Muggle, grinned. "Do it. It always feels better afterwards."

"What the-" Neville began to ask, but Hermione wasn't listening anymore, as she spun on her heel and marched off to find Draco. This would be it, here and now. If Neville and Seamus could be together without any problems or doubts, then why couldn't she and Theo do the same? She cared about him, Merlin be damned, and she wouldn't let her morals or his self-esteem or _Draco Sodding Malfoy_ stand in the way of what she wanted. What they wanted.

She walked up behind Draco, who was chatting to Pansy, and tapped him on the shoulder. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course," he purred in a very confident, sexual voice. She could tell he was pretty drunk, too. Pansy scoffed and rolled her eyes, departing the scene quickly, and Draco pulled Hermione to him, wrapping his hands around her waist.

"Want to dance?" he asked, his eyes betraying that he wanted to do a lot more than that with her.

Hermione shook her head. Her eyes passed over the room and she saw Theo watching them with a face full of sadness and loss. He didn't even make an attempt to look away when she spotted him; simply smiled a wistful smile and raised his glass to her. She realized what a compromising position it looked like they were in, and berated herself – but if nothing else, seeing what this was doing to Theo only strengthened her resolve.

"I'm sorry, Draco, but I can't," she said firmly, trying not to slur her words. "I told you, I like someone else, and my answer's not changed. I'm sorry. I did appreciate the gift, it's beautiful, and I would really like to be friendly with you someday, but I can't be with you like this."

Draco frowned and pulled away from her. He began pacing in very small circles. "Who is it?"

"I – I'm not going to say," Hermione answered. "I don't want any trouble."

"Trouble? Who said anything about trouble?" asked Draco, his voice sickly sweet. "I only want to make sure he's the kind of person who will treat you as you deserve."

Hermione held her tongue. Theo and Blaise had been Sorted into Slytherin, because they were ambitious and loyal and clever. Draco was all those things, but more than anything he was cunning, and he was absolutely the kind of Slytherin with whom you had to watch your back – she was well aware that revealing any information to him right now would be akin to punching Theo herself. She reinforced her mental barriers, amazed that she could practice Occlumency even in this state.

"More to the point," she reasoned with him, "you told me you don't share. How could I be with you, with both of us knowing that my heart belongs to someone else? I'd be living a lie, and you would be having to share my attention all the time. It wouldn't be fair to either of us."

"I'd make you forget him," Draco growled, stepping closer again and putting a hand on her hip. "I'd do anything for you, and soon enough you'd forget all about him and start to like me instead."

"No," Hermione protested, knowing that wasn't true. Nothing, _nothing_ Draco said or did would ever make her forget how much she wanted Theo. Wanted his kind smile and his soft hands and his warm lips and his deep voice and to pull off his clean white oxford and run her hands over his chest. Wanted to curl up with him and read books by the fire, wanted to spend Christmas after Christmas building snowmen together, wanted – wanted _everything._

"Yes," breathed Draco, stepping even closer, searching for permission to kiss her. She tried to pull away.

"Please, Draco, let me go," she pleaded, successfully extricating herself from his grasp.

"Why?" he asked, raising his voice, not in anger, she realized, but in desperation. People started to look over at them, and Hermione shrank under their gaze but Draco was too drunk and too upset to even notice. "Why don't I even deserve a chance?"

"It's not about _you,_ Draco," Hermione answered desperately, aware that half the room was watching them now. "Please, can we go somewhere else and discuss this?"

"No," Draco said. "Let them hear, let them know. I don't care. Miss High and Mighty Granger," he announced to the room at large, swaying drunkenly on the spot, "thinks she's too good for me. She doesn't want me."

"Draco, please," Hermione pleaded, completely embarrassed and wishing she could be anywhere else. "Please let's talk about this elsewhere. Come on." She tugged his sleeve, unbalancing him, trying to drag him into the bathroom, but he wasn't having it.

"Come on, Hermione, tell me why. Why can't you come off your high fucking horse for long enough to even give me a shot at a relationship? Why is this other guy _so_ important to you?"

Hermione didn't dare look at Theo, but she could feel his eyes on her. A combination of drunkenness, stress, anger, frustration and heartbreak led her to feel like she was about to explode, and knowing he was watching, he was in pain, she felt words flying out of her mouth like vomit she couldn't hold in.

"Because I'm in love with him!" she burst out, not realizing it was even true until she'd said it. Of course it was true, though. He'd occupied her thoughts non-stop for weeks, he was the first thing she thought about in the morning and her dreams were full of the two of them at Christmas, remembering his touch and his tears. It had always been Theo, and it would always _be_ Theo.

Draco's face changed almost instantaneously from angry and sneering to shocked; the crowd went silent; and Hermione fled the scene as fast as she could. She couldn't look at him, couldn't look at any of them. The first time she told Theo she loved him should have been special, magical, the two of them with a roaring fire and soft-spoken words of commitment, not – not this, indirectly at a party across the room while breaking up with someone else.

She was halfway along the seventh-floor corridor when she dropped down to the floor and wept. She saw Malfoy storm out a moment later and head towards the dungeons. Then she could hear Ginny running along the corridor after her, calling out her name, but she hid, not wanting to see her friend right now. There was only one person in the world she wanted to see, and she'd just embarrassed herself by running out after ruining his birthday party. She put her head in her knees and cried, muffling her sobs, until Ginny gave up and went back into the Room, clearly understanding that Hermione didn't want to be found.

About twenty minutes later, Hermione heard someone else leave, and recognized the lithe frame and dark, ruffled hair that she'd been pining for. Theo looked confused, but was clearly looking for her. She shuffled out of her hiding place, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes, and revealed herself.

"Hermione," he said softly, and ran to her, taking her hand. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she replied, though she was beginning to feel another bout of nausea. "I'm sorry I ruined your birthday. I didn't want that to happen."

"Ruined my birthday?" Theo asked incredulously. "My birthday is just a random day of the year. Until this year, I never even celebrated it. My birthday isn't even registering on the scale of things I care about right now." He ran a hand through his hair, stepped closer to her, and gently tilted her chin up to look at him. "Did you mean it?"

Hermione nodded, not looking away from his dark, burning eyes. "Of course I did. It's always been you."

"Say it again," he said, huskily, his throat catching, his hands on her hips now, holding her as if she were the only thing anchoring him to the world. "Tell me."

"I love you, Theo," she said softly, and brought her hand up to his face.

"Merlin," he replied, closing his eyes euphorically, "I love you so much, Hermione."

She didn't know who initiated the kiss, but at that point she didn't care. Their lips met and she arched herself into him, her hands all over his body, his touch like fire on hers. She pressed as close to him as she could get, trying to convey the depth of her feeling. His tongue met hers and as the kiss deepened, he pulled at her waist, his hands moving slowly over her backside. She could feel his arousal straining through his satin suit trousers. It didn't make her feel uncomfortable or anxious like it had with Ron. It didn't make her want to stop, like it had with Draco. Instead she felt only excitement as it fed her own arousal, and a hint of pride that she had such an effect on him.

He pushed her against the wall, and she gladly allowed him to, their tongues battling and lips meshed together. He groaned deeply as she rubbed her hand against his trousers, and she'd never heard a more amazing sound. She wanted to hear it again. Before she could reach out, though, he pulled back, breathless, and looked into her eyes. "Not like this," he panted out. "I want you so badly, but not here."

"Gryffindor Tower's not far," Hermione replied, grinning.

Theo groaned again, clearly struggling to resist his instincts, and the sound drove her wild. "I meant – I want to do this properly, to go out and take you on a date, the way you deserve. I don't want this to just be some stupid fling, I have to do it right."

"Theo," Hermione pressed, "I love you. This could never be some stupid fling to me, no matter how it happens. I want all of you; your head, your heart and, well, also what's in your trousers." She surprised herself by saying it in such a crude way, and Theo raised an eyebrow too, but she barreled on regardless. "We've spent the last few weeks being miserable, and I want to make up for lost time."

Theo met her gaze with eyes full of affection. "I can't believe I almost lost you because of my own stupid issues. Thank you for not giving up on me. This, us, is what I've always dreamed of, and now I see you really want me, I'm going to make you happy. I promise."

"I promise," she replied with a smile, her mouth very close to his, "I'll never give up on you, and I'll never let you feel like you're second-best, because you're not. You're the best man I've ever met. You're _my_ Theo, and I love you more than anyone."

Theo kissed her again, closing his eyes, and she could feel him grinning. He pulled away just slightly, and she tried to recapture his lips before realizing he was speaking, his eyes sparkling in the way she adored so much. "Alright. Gryffindor Tower. Lead the way."

Surprised at her own daring, but knowing that right down to her core, this was what she wanted, Hermione took Theo by the hand and led him down the corridor towards the dorms, giggling happily. He followed her willingly, his face showing anticipation and bliss in equal measure. They entered through the portrait hole past a disapproving Fat Lady, and Hermione dragged him through the common room quickly. She didn't think anyone would be around at this time – most people were either at Theo's party or in bed – but it was best not to tempt fate by lingering too long.

She whispered the charm that was written on the wall of the girls' toilets to disable the slippery staircase and led Theo up it by the hand, pulling him into hers and Ginny's room. "Are you sure this is okay?" he asked nervously, eyeing the other beds.

Hermione nodded, leading him to hers. "One's Ginny's, one's empty and the other's Parvati's, she'll be with Dean tonight."

Theo grinned, and Hermione wasted no time in magically pulling the curtain around her bed and falling onto it as he crawled over her. His breath ghosted over her skin and the smell of his cologne made her ache between her legs. This was better than she could have ever imagined, and they hadn't even started yet. He leaned down and captured her lips, and she kissed him back with fervor, relaxing into his touch.

He was clearly unsure of himself, of how far to go, and Hermione realized she'd have to take the lead. She moved her hand down and drew it along the edge of his trousers, her finger grazing his midriff, then gently tugged at the bottom of his jumper. He got the message and pulled it off in one swift movement, leaving him wearing one of the crisp white oxfords she loved so much. Now she'd finally get to see what was underneath it.

Carefully, seductively, she undid his buttons one by one, running her hand over the skin she exposed and trailing kisses along his collarbone. He groaned in pleasure and tentatively reached a hand out to touch her covered breast. She brought her lips up to his and kissed him again, to encourage him, and he began to massage it gently, causing her to moan into his mouth. The sound seemed to have an effect on him and he deepened the kiss once more, his tongue finding hers, his hips grinding into her uncontrollably.

Finished with his shirt, Hermione slid it off his shoulders, and broke the kiss briefly to unzip her dress. She pulled it partway down, exposing her bra, and Theo stared in wonderment at her. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he remarked, watching his own hand as it kneaded her breast through her bra, then bringing his eyes up to meet hers. His bare chest was hairless and thin, and it heaved with deep breaths as he panted. Hermione grinned and kissed him again, pulling him down towards her, then without warning, rolled them over so he was on his back below her.

"Wha-" she silenced him with a kiss, and trailed her hands down his chest, stopping when she reached the waistband of his trousers. She broke the kiss and began to follow her hands' path with her mouth, kissing and licking all the way down to his stomach. He watched her progress with heavy-lidded eyes, and she could see his hardness twitching, straining to get out of his satin trousers. She undid the button carefully, cautiously, making sure he was okay with it; but upon receiving no complaints, she pulled down both his trousers and his boxers to reveal her prize underneath.

He was a good size, she thought. She hadn't admittedly had much experience at all with this part, but it didn't look so big it would hurt, and as she took it in her hand, it filled her palm nicely. Theo moaned and bucked into her hand, then looked abashed. "Sorry," he said huskily.

"Don't be," she replied, "I love it when you lose control."

She began to gently pump her hand up and down the shaft, feeling it twitching under her touch. She had done this a few times for Ron and knew how it worked, though she wasn't confident she was any good. Theo seemed to think she was, though, because he threw his head back and fisted his hands in the sheets, trying to contain his sounds of pleasure. Growing bolder, fueled by alcohol and lust, while he wasn't looking, Hermione decided to be daring; she leaned down and all at once, took his entire penis in her mouth.

"Fuck!" Theo shouted, and bucked his hips again, but she'd been prepared for it. This was something she'd never done before, never having been inclined to, but for Theo, she'd found herself thinking she'd like to know what he tasted like. She ran her tongue up the underside of his shaft as she'd read you were supposed to, and was rewarded with a stuttered groan. "Fuck, Hermione, oh, Merlin…"

Emboldened, she bobbed her head up and down, finding a good rhythm. She swirled her tongue over the tip, and at one point she moved her hand down to touch his balls, which he seemed to like a lot. Soon, she felt him tense, and he began to gabble out, "Hermione-shit-shit-I'm-" moments before he shuddered and a warm, salty liquid filled her mouth. She swallowed, not finding the taste abhorrent at all, and licked the tip a few times for good measure before withdrawing.

Theo looked utterly spent. "Holy shit," he murmured as she moved back up the bed, "you're amazing. You're just amazing. I'm sorry if I'm disappointing you, or if it's not big enough-"

She put a finger to his lips. "It's perfect. You're perfect. Stop worrying. That was actually the first time I've done that, so I was worried it wouldn't feel good for you."

"It – it did," he confirmed breathlessly, and she laughed. Then he looked nervous again. "I want to return the favour," he said, "but I don't really know how."

Hermione smiled. This, she knew how to help him with. She snuggled up against his chest, then took his hand and brought it down between her legs, guiding him to her clitoris. "Here," she said, moving two of his fingers against it in the way she liked, "like this."

"Like this?" he repeated, continuing the motion, and she moaned as the pleasure began to build. He grinned, pleased he was doing it right. Hermione unclasped her bra and took it off, and Theo's eyes were large as saucers as he simply stared. She laughed. "You can touch them, you know."

Theo didn't touch them. Instead, he leaned his head down and captured her nipple in his mouth, swirling his tongue over it and teasing it with his teeth. She gasped and bucked slightly, even as his fingers continued working their magic on her clitoris. "Oh, Theo," she breathed, and hearing his name seemed to spur him on even further. He began to use his other hand to massage her other breast, pinching her nipple, rolling it under his hand, and she felt the inevitable waves of orgasm beginning to rise. "Mmm…Theo!" she called out as they crashed over her, and she shuddered and clung onto him, riding them out. Afterwards, he released her breasts and laid down, and she snuggled into his side.

He brought his fingers up to his face and drew in her scent. "Wow," he said, his other arm tightening around her, "one day I'd definitely like to see what you taste like."

Hermione giggled. "One day you will. That's the first time anyone else has ever been able to get me to orgasm, you know," she added, and he looked at her, surprised.

"Really? I didn't really know what I was doing, even right at the end," he confessed. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, though."

"It's 'cause it was you," Hermione said, stifling a yawn and curling up with her head on his chest. He took a deep, contented breath and pulled the sheets up around them.

"I love you," he said simply, settling down and holding her tight.

"Love you too," she replied, already in the throes of slumber. She was so warm, surrounded by Theo's arms and his scent, and exhausted by what they'd just done, so it wasn't long before she found herself drifting off.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Hermione woke groggily to the curtains around the bed being ripped away, and a loud and excitable exclamation. "I KNEW IT!" She looked up, blinking, to see Ginny standing triumphantly over them, arms crossed and grinning from ear to ear. Theo cursed and rolled over, still half-asleep, shielding his eyes from the light, and Hermione pulled the covers up over them both.

"Gin! Not exactly got much on, here," she said, gesturing at herself and Theo.

"Oh, fine," Ginny said, shutting the curtains again and turning away. "Your bra is on the floor, by the way," she called out, her voice muffled.

"Thank you!" Hermione said crisply, picking up the article and putting it on hastily. It would do until she could take a shower. She found Theo's shirt and put it on to cover herself, deciding the dress was far too much effort, then carefully extricated herself from the bed, leaving Theo to curl up and fall back asleep. She slipped outside the curtain and faced Ginny.

"I'm so happy for you!" Ginny shrieked, and hugged her. Hermione giggled, but put a finger to her lips. "Sshh. He's still sleeping." She pulled her friend over to another bed and they sat down.

"I knew this would happen, I knew it, I knew it," Ginny was gushing. "I told him to come and look for you, after you hid from me. Merlin knows you two belong together, all you needed was a push."

"You think so?" came a voice from behind them, and Theo's rumpled hair and tired face appeared from behind the curtain. He'd put his trousers back on but was still shirtless, and looked at Hermione with amusement as he approached them. "I wondered where that had gone."

"Sorry," she said as he sat beside her on the bed and put his arm round her, "it was the only thing I could think to put on quickly."

"Don't be sorry," he replied, kissing her cheek, "you look better in it than I do."

"So? What happened?!" Ginny pressed.

"Oh, are we doing girl talk, now?" Theo asked with a raised eyebrow. "Should I go?"

"You don't have to," Hermione said, her hand tightening on his arm. "Ginny's just being nosy, so we'll tell her enough to shut her up and then go to breakfast."

Theo grinned and rested his head on her shoulder. "Go on, then. Tell her all the juicy details."

"I like him," Ginny pronounced, and Hermione laughed. "Look, there's not much to tell. You heard what I said at the party. I ran out, Theo came to find me. I told him I meant it, and he told me he loved me too. Then…well, some things happened, and you found us in bed this morning. You can work that part out, I'm sure."

Ginny squealed. "So you're in love? It's true? That's so brilliant!"

Hermione looked at Theo, who smiled at her, and took his head off her shoulder to kiss her sweetly. "Yeah, it is."

"I can't handle this, it's too much saccharine for the morning," the Weasley girl announced, then stood up and walked over to the door. "I'm going to interrogate Neville and Seamus, and I expect you two in the common room – dressed and ready for breakfast – in ten minutes. I'm starving."

"Demanding, isn't she?" Theo commented as she left, and Hermione giggled. He kissed her again, and she responded happily. This was definitely among the best possible ways to wake up in the morning.

"We have to get dressed," Hermione managed to say in between kisses.

"Mmm," Theo said, but didn't stop.

"Theo," she giggled, pulling away, but he simply continued down her neck instead. She sighed and gave in for a moment, running her hands over his bare shoulders, but then caught herself. "No, no, we have to go to breakfast, no time for this."

"Oh, alright," Theo said moodily, but the twinkle in his eye gave away that he was joking. "Can I have my shirt back then?"

"I thought I looked better in it than you do," Hermione teased. "I was thinking of starting a new fashion trend."

"Let me be clear," Theo said, standing up and following her back over to her bed, "you look fantastic in it, but you also make me want to rip it off you, and that's not appropriate in the Great Hall, so maybe you should change. Also, I need to wear _something."_

"Oh, I don't know," Hermione said, undoing the buttons regardless, "I quite like what you've got going on right now."

"You might," Theo grinned, taking it from her and shrugging it on, "but I doubt anyone else would. Don't need them to, either."

Hermione kissed him again, then reluctantly dragged herself away to find something to wear. Theo finished putting his shirt on and lay down on her bed, watching her with a smile. "You're so beautiful," he commented, shaking his head. "I still can't believe it."

"Believe it," she said, surprised how completely unashamed she was to be virtually naked in front of him in the cold light of day. She wasn't bothered by body confidence issues, really, but her scar which still lingered on her arm from Bellatrix normally made her uncomfortable. Not with him, though, strangely enough. She just didn't mind him seeing her – she didn't mind if he saw her scars and imperfections, because he was Theo. He didn't mention it, though she was sure he must have seen it, and for that she felt another wave of gratitude. "I still can't believe you love me, to be honest. I feel like I don't deserve it," she told him, pulling a jumper on. "Like I haven't done _enough_ to deserve it. I barely spoke to you until this year, and then I hurt you by going with Draco. I feel lucky that you want to be with me."

"You feel like _you_ don't deserve _me_?" Theo asked incredulously. "That's preposterous. You're this beautiful, intelligent, brave, kind war hero. You're everything everyone wishes they could be. I'm just a second-rate Slytherin, too cowardly to take a side in the war, carried along by my more successful friends and who tried to throw away the girl he loved because of self-esteem issues. I should have been begging you to choose me, I don't know what I was thinking."

"I hate hearing you talk about yourself like that," Hermione admonished. "I have flaws, and you have great qualities too. And I've told you time and time again," she sat down, straddling his lap, "you're second-best to nobody."

He growled and kissed her hungrily. "Only to you, then. And on that, I won't take no for an answer."

She smiled into his kisses. "Agree to disagree, then. Come on, let's go to breakfast, I'm hungry."

Theo grinned and followed her out of the dorm, stopping to grab his jumper from the floor on the way out. They descended the spiral staircase hand in hand, and Hermione felt like she was floating on a cloud. For all the years that she'd spent pining after Ron, she hadn't had any idea what real love felt like. Suddenly she could see why the other girls in her year had been more interested in pursuing boys than knowledge; looking at Theo with a bubble of pride and happiness in her chest, and seeing the way he looked back adoringly at her, she couldn't blame them for wanting to find this.

The pair emerged into the common room and Ginny, Neville and Seamus all looked up impatiently. "About time!" Ginny exclaimed, just as Seamus threw up his hands and cheered. Neville rolled his eyes at his companions and smiled at them. "Congrats, guys."

"You too," Hermione replied, pointedly nodding at Neville and Seamus's proximity. Neville took Seamus's hand in his and grinned at the Irishman. Ginny huffed. "Now we've ascertained I'm the only one walking to breakfast without a boyfriend, can we go?"

"Not the only one," Theo said cheerfully, wrapping an arm round Hermione's shoulders, "I don't have a boyfriend either."

Ginny smacked him and he laughed. "I wouldn't do that, by the way," she warned, indicating Theo's arm. "If secrecy is still the order of the day so you don't hurt Malfoy's feelings or potentially Theo's face, then you'll want to try and be as subtle as possible. Make it look like we all met up on the way."

"Good point," Hermione worried her lip between her teeth. Theo's face had fallen slightly. They had been so caught up in themselves last night that they'd completely forgotten about Draco. "Just for now, maybe it's best," she agreed, looking to Theo for confirmation. "I mean, we don't want to cause trouble, and I don't want you to lose your friend."

Theo ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what's best. Being honest with him might be the best course of action, but on the other hand, Draco can really let his emotions get the better of him sometimes, and he really, really cares about you. I don't know that he'd ever forgive me – or on some level, forgive himself for 'losing' to me. 'Cause that's how he'll see it."

Hermione nodded. "He looks down on everyone, but especially the people closest to him. Knowing you took me from under his nose might kill him. Perhaps it's best to keep it to ourselves until he's had time to cool off."

"An admirable plan," interjected Ginny, "now, if we don't get moving I am going to eat _you."_

Hermione allowed her friend to lead her out of the common room, smiling at her boyfriend encouragingly. It wouldn't be forever. Theo smiled back at her, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. They carried on normal conversation all the way down to the entrance hall, where they found Blaise waiting impatiently.

"Do you know how long I've- mmph," he started to scold them, then was cut off by Ginny's lips. He seemed to forget all about how long he'd been waiting as they sank into it, and Hermione took that as her cue to tug Theo and Neville by the arm.

"They won't be in any time soon," she explained, "we might as well get started."

"I'll have to go over to the Slytherin table anyway, so I'll wait for him," Theo replied. "It'd look weird if I suddenly ate with you guys. I'll see you later, though," he added to Hermione. "Meet me in the library after class? I want to start those Ancient Runes tutoring sessions you promised me."

Hermione wasn't sure what she was more excited about, the prospect of snogging Theo in the darkened corners of the library, or actually having a discussion with him about Ancient Runes. She made a mental note to have her priorities checked by a professional. With a quick look around to make sure nobody was watching, she kissed him on the cheek and grinned. "See you then."

"Honestly," Neville said as they departed the still-kissing Ginny and Blaise, leaving Theo standing awkwardly next to them, "there's almost no point trying to hide, you know. The way you two look at each other leaves very little to the imagination. You're clearly head over heels for each other."

Hermione had to conceal a grin. Seamus punched her lightly on the shoulder. "It's a good look on you."

"Thanks, Seamus," she replied as they sat down, then shook her head, clearing her thoughts of Theo. "So, you two, congratulations again! Tell me all about how it happened."

"Neville, you're better at the story," Seamus said, his mouth already half-full of eggs. "Also I had to tell Ginny earlier, so tag, you're up."

Neville nudged him half-heartedly but didn't argue. "After I came out it was a bit awkward for me at first," he explained, "and I didn't really know what others would think of me or how to act around them. I didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable or anything. It's the same for me as it's always been, I guess, but I was trying to be a bit more conscious of others."

He spooned some scrambled eggs onto his toast and glanced at Seamus, a blush appearing on his cheeks. "Seamus came up to me first thing on the Hogwarts Express and asked if it was true. When I told him yes, he said he'd been waiting for years for me to finally come out. He said he could tell since fourth year. I said, 'how could you know, if I didn't even know?' and he said, 'I dunno. I just knew. I guess since I knew so early, I could tell you were, too.'"

"Of course," Neville continued, with half a bacon sandwich in his mouth, "I didn't know Seamus was bi, at all. So that sort of knocked me for six, but it helped to have someone else who was in the same boat. So we stuck together a lot this year. It was at that party in October – you know, the first one we had with the Slytherins –" Hermione grimaced at the memory of what she'd done that particular night, "- Seamus got so drunk, and after I helped him into the dorm room, he kissed me. He was half out of his mind with liquor so I didn't really know what to do, but I didn't stop it, and he was telling me how long he'd wanted to kiss me and how much he'd dreamed about it."

"Hey, if you're gonna tell all the embarrassing bits…" Seamus interjected, looking bashful.

"It's not embarrassing!" Hermione cut him off. "I think it's so sweet. Please, Neville, go on. This sounds like the most adorable story."

"Seamus is cuter than he wants any of us to think," Neville teased, winking at his other half. "Anyhow, we ended up in bed together, though we didn't do anything. The next morning Seamus was really shy about it, but admitted he'd fancied me since sixth year. I was kind of new to all this, of course, but I didn't see why we shouldn't give it a shot. Needless to say, he's grown on me a lot." He smiled jokingly and brushed his hand over Seamus's. "We spent a couple months just having a relationship in the dorm room. Then at Christmas I told Gran," he winced, "and that…could have gone better, but I was determined to do it."

"Me mam and dad weren't thrilled either," Seamus replied through his mouthful of toast, "Catholics through and through. Even mam, though she's a witch as well. I never really bought into it all, they knew that, but they still weren't happy to have a gay son. I don't care, though – according to them I'm already going to hell, so what's a bit more sin along the way?"

Neville laughed. "So after we spoke to our families, we thought, well what do we have to lose if everyone else knows too? After all, this is the real thing – we really care about each other. Then there was last night, and now you're pretty much up to date."

Hermione couldn't stop smiling. "I'm so happy for you both," she said. "It's a shame about your families but as long as you have each other, that's what matters."

"Agreed," Neville said, and dropped his head to give Seamus a quick peck.

At that moment, Ginny sat down beside them heavily. She didn't look happy. "What's wrong?" asked Hermione in alarm, glancing back towards the doors.

"Malfoy," was her response, and Hermione felt a wave of guilt crash over her. "He came up to us and asked me if I knew who you were in love with. He looks half dead, Hermione – I don't want to make you feel even worse, but honestly – he really had his hopes up with you. I told him that I knew, but that him knowing who it was wouldn't make it any better, and that he should let it go. He threatened me, but it was all empty, I wasn't even afraid of him like I used to be. He's like a shell. It was definitely a good idea you not flaunting Theo in front of him yet. I think you need to talk to him."

"I wish I could," Hermione replied, a knife twisting in her stomach, "but he's not reasonable. I've tried twice to let him down now and both times he won't take no for an answer. I don't know what more I can say – I've apologized, I've told him it's not his fault, I've told him I appreciated his gift and that really, the only reason I've turned him down is because it wouldn't be fair to either of us to be in a relationship when my heart's not in it."

Ginny looked troubled. "I don't know what to say, Hermione. He needs something, that's for sure. I've never seen him looking like this before, not even during my fifth year when he had that task from Voldemort. He's half-broken and the other, prickly, snarly half isn't anything like it used to be."

"He needs time," Neville said, "but I think a word or two from you wouldn't hurt Hermione. Whether you intended to or not, you got his hopes up by going with him at the beginning of the year. I'm not saying it's all your fault, but he wouldn't be this messed up from losing you if he never felt like he'd had you in the first place."

"What can I say, though?" Hermione asked dejectedly. "'Let's be friends' is probably the last thing he wants to hear right now. 'I'm sorry' is equally as useless. 'I care about you, but not as much as him' is like a punch to the gut. For once, I just don't have the right words."

The four of them finished their breakfast in somber silence, nobody able to find a suitable response.

Later that evening, Hermione sat with Theo in the library. Far from the clandestine romantic experience they'd expected, it turned out that the place was absolutely crowded with people cramming for their mock OWLs. They'd made do and had an actual Ancient Runes session, with Hermione helping Theo revise the material he'd caught up on, but honestly he didn't need much help – he was just as good at the subject as she was, she was pleasantly surprised to find. After a while, they'd got onto the subject of Draco, and Theo's face had dropped.

"He's a mess," he said truthfully. "I feel so guilty about what we're doing."

"Me too," Hermione confessed. "I shouldn't have ever gone with him. I'm so sorry, it's my fault."

Theo shrugged. "What's done is done. Honestly, though, I think whether you did or you didn't, he would have reacted the same way. He saw you as his for a long, long time, even if he didn't actually say anything to you – and he doesn't like sharing. He started putting me down a lot more after he found out I liked you too. Wanted me to believe I never had a shot in hell compared to him, because that way he'd never have any competition. I believed him for a long time, too."

Hermione stroked his face gently. "It sounds like he put you through a really hard time."

Theo shook his head, his face still desperately sad. "It's difficult for anyone else to understand what it's like, being a Slytherin, especially during those last few years. You can't show weakness to anyone, and you can't confide in anyone, because if you do then you'll be backstabbed and cut down so someone else can clamber over you. It was cutthroat. At least Draco called me his friend, which was a blessing in and of itself because it meant I was protected from anyone else who would try." He shuddered. "I'm glad it's not that way anymore. But I owe Draco a lot, regardless of what awful things he's done, because in the Slytherin way he stuck his neck out for me."

Hermione couldn't imagine anything like it. Not for the first time, she fervently thanked all the powers there were that she'd been Sorted into Gryffindor. Her horror must have shown on her face, because Theo took her hand and smiled a little. "Don't worry. Blaise and Millie and Goyle and Pansy, they're past that now. We've all seen and been through too much for petty schoolyard ambitions to matter. I just wanted you to understand what it is Draco's done for me, and what I owe him – and why I feel so guilty doing what we're doing."

"Do you want to stop?" Hermione asked, though it took all her strength to force the question past her lips.

"Circe, no," Theo replied, looking horrified, and kissed her quickly. "Not being with you feels a hundred thousand times worse. I was a wreck the last few weeks, even though I didn't look like it. I barely ate or slept, and Blaise was supervising me round the clock forcing me to get up and go to class. No, I've learned my lesson, I'm never giving you up again. Not for anyone or anything." Then suddenly he faltered. "Unless – unless _you_ don't want to carry on-?"

Hermione felt a warm buzz in her chest and shook her head vehemently at his suggestion. "I couldn't cope without you either," she admitted, "I was anxious all the time, and Gin had to wake me up more than once because I was crying in my sleep. Being with you, kissing you, seeing your face every day is what makes all of this stress and guilt worth it."

"Then we're settled," Theo said gently, "definitely not breaking up. Ever. So what's plan B?"

"I wish I knew," Hermione replied, putting her forehead on the desk. "What will make Draco feel better? I never knew it was possible to feel this guilty over someone I don't even particularly like as a person."

"He's lost you," Theo answered, "so, quite honestly, there's nothing we could do for him that could even compare. We'll just have to give it some time and see how he fares. Blaise and I are trying to get him feeling better, but he's obsessed with knowing who's 'stolen' you, he won't focus on anything else. I feel terrible, but just this once I'm going to be selfish and do what's right for me. For _us._ Draco will understand, in time. For now, I advise you keep your distance and don't mention me to anyone. We should probably start meeting only in the Room of Requirement or the Gryffindor dorms. I'll also start carting my Ancient Runes books wherever I go so I've got a reason for not being in the common room in the evenings. Thankfully I'm taking the extra class so nobody can question it."

Hermione was watching him with growing wonder and appreciation in her eyes. He really cared about his friend, and he was taking charge and doing everything he could to make sure that Draco's feelings were protected, but he wasn't backing down like before and giving up what he truly wanted. For the first time, she saw the deep-running traits that had led to his being Sorted into Slytherin rise to the surface. She was simultaneously impressed, proud and a little bit turned on. "Sounds like a plan. I really love you, Theo," she felt like she needed to add.

He smiled, his hair falling over his forehead, and leaned towards her. "Love you, too. We'll work this out, together."

The next few days were stressful for Hermione for a number of reasons. She had always been an overthinker, an over analyzer, so when she had Theo and Draco on her mind constantly, it was difficult for her to get into the right frame of mind for classes. Certainly not for the first time this year, she kicked herself for getting involved with boys just before her exams – then she remembered how it felt to be with Theo and it all went away. Then, five minutes later, she'd be kicking herself again. She'd drawn up revision timetables for all of them, as usual, and while Ginny and Neville begrudgingly accepted theirs as they had already known their fate, Theo and Blaise were shocked.

"What is this?" Blaise questioned, looking at the brightly coloured piece of parchment suspiciously.

"It's your revision timetable," Hermione replied, looking sternly between him and Theo, who was gazing skeptically down at the page. "If you keep to it from now until May then you'll be more than ready for your NEWTs."

"I get the feeling you've done these before," he said weakly, and she nodded. "Every year for all the Gryffindors. Congratulations, you've made it into the club."

"Sometimes I forget how much of a swot you are," Blaise sighed, and Theo was clearly trying to hold in his laughter. Hermione turned to him, checking nobody else was around, and then said firmly, "You're the reason I'm doing this so early this year! I don't know how much time I'm going to have from now on, so it's important to start now!"

At that, Theo couldn't hold it in any more and let the laughter out. Hermione was upset for a moment before he grabbed her and held her close. Blaise scoffed and pretended to puke. "Don't worry. We'll keep to our timetables. I just can't believe how organized you are – it's eye-opening."

"You didn't know me so well before this year, I suppose," Hermione let herself smile. "Well, you'd better get used to it now! I'm going to make sure we all pass our exams with flying colours."

Theo's grin was enough to keep her feeling light and happy the entire day.

Of course, with the revision timetables there was one thing Hermione had forgotten. She had planned for them all to study together on various days for the subjects they shared, and naturally, she arrived fifteen minutes early to each study session because if you weren't early, you were late. She was used to her peers slouching in at the last moment, so she lined up all her revision materials ready in the empty classroom she'd chosen as a meeting point and waited.

She had forgotten, though, that it made her very easy to track down, for someone who knew her well and had access to a timetable that was lying around in his dorm.

Fourteen and a half minutes prior to their scheduled Charms session, Hermione was sitting with her books out ready, and was distracted by the sudden bang of the door closing. She looked up to see who it was and almost shrank back at the sight of Draco, magically locking the door behind him. Her heart started beating faster, but she reminded herself she had nothing to fear. It was only Draco. He wasn't the Draco of years past, he had matured, and he wouldn't hurt her.

She forced a smile. "Draco. Did you want to join the study session?"

"No," he replied, his voice strained. They were right – he did look awful. "I just came to talk to you beforehand." He walked up to her, and all trace of fear and nervousness was immediately gone from her body. He looked like a broken man, and his grey eyes held unprecedented levels of sorrow. She was almost alarmed at her sudden urge to give him a hug.

"Okay. We can talk," she said, taking a deep breath.

"Look," he began, sounding as if every word was an effort. "I told you, I don't – I'm not good with expressing myself. I do it with snark and physicality, neither of which are appropriate for this situation. So forgive me if I'm a little stilted. But I do have some things I want to say to you."

"First off, I would like to apologise for my actions towards you at the party. I had had a little too much liquor and I was scared of hearing what I didn't want to hear, and I let myself get overemotional. I can't blame you for being upset and I'm very sorry I put you in that situation." His grey eyes were very serious, and Hermione was in shock at the fact that Draco Malfoy had actually apologized to her. That had been high on the list of things she never thought would happen. She opened her mouth to say she forgave him, but he barreled on, not letting her get a word in.

"Secondly, I'd like to explain myself. You are aware that I had a pretty awful time in the last couple of years. You know how much shit we all went through – our side included – and you're one of the few who actually understands it. You know, there's never a day when I don't think about what Bellatrix did to you, and how I didn't lift a finger. If I had a Time-Turner, that's the first thing I'd change." Hermione instinctively moved her hand over her forearm, rubbing it, and Draco noticed the gesture. He put a hand over his own left arm and pulled the sleeve down, revealing a burnt, scarred and twisted image of a Dark Mark, run through with so much scar tissue she could tell he'd tried to cut it out. She tried not to gag.

"We all have scars we wish we could erase, things we wish we'd done differently, and you understand that better than anyone. I've always gravitated towards you, felt like we were two sides of a coin, even in the beginning when my every instinct fought it. I – I thought you were the same. I thought that at the beginning of this year, we had finally managed to click. If I'd known you didn't see me as anything but a distraction, then maybe I would have tried harder. I should have tried harder. But I didn't see – I didn't know – not until it was too late, that you weren't really with me at all. You were with someone else all along, and that hurts to my core, because when everything seemed like it was finally coming together, I've had to accept that it's actually not my happy ending after all. A stupid thing to believe in the first place, but there you have it, and I hope you understand now why I've been so intense about this, and why I couldn't bear to let you go. I've been in love with you for a very long time."

Hermione's heart felt like it was breaking in two. She loved Theo, so much, but she _had_ enjoyed being with Malfoy, hadn't she? She _had_ thought about him, and she _had_ had a thoroughly good time with him, and she _had,_ uncharacteristically and very irresponsibly, in the name of trying to let her instincts lead her, led him on without thinking about the consequences of what it could mean. His heartbreak was her fault. She opened her mouth and this time he didn't stop her.

"Draco," she chose her words carefully, her eyes never leaving his, "I am so sorry for what I did to you. For what I'm still doing to you. You don't deserve it and I hate to cause you pain. I should never have got into anything with you while I was developing feelings for someone else, it was thoughtless and awful of me. I should be the one apologizing for that. And-" she hesitated, then went on, "you're not crazy. About the whole – gravitating to one another thing. I know what you mean and I felt it too. We're so alike, and we share so many qualities, but each of us has virtues which mirror the other. In another time, in another place, there is definitely a world where I could have fallen in love with you, too. You're an intelligent, ambitious, determined and – honestly, very brave man. I really regret that how much I've hurt you has had to come between us like this, because I would really love to spend a lot more time with you in the future. I hope someday that'll be possible."

Draco half-smiled. "At least I know that in some small way, I stood a chance. I'm not going to ask you who he is anymore, because I think I've come to realise that knowing won't help. He'll always be the person I lost out to, and I hate to lose; but as long as he treats you right, and you love him, I won't get in the way, because your happiness matters. I'll always wonder 'what if', though. And if he ever hurts you, don't expect me to hold back."

"He won't," Hermione said, trying to hold a facial expression that didn't show the overwhelming sadness and anger she had roiling inside herself, for the pain she'd caused him. Why had she been so reckless, so thoughtless? That wasn't what Hermione Granger was about. She vowed to herself to never be so dismissive of other peoples' feelings ever again., "but I really appreciate the sentiment. And thank you, for saying that. It means a lot that you want me to be happy."

A moment passed between them, a brief flicker of something she couldn't quite place, that made her catch her breath; then it was past, and Draco had adopted that same lopsided smile. "I'll get over you, Granger. I'll be back to hanging around the group before you know it."

"You'd better be," Hermione said, returning his smile, "it's not the same without you."

Draco sighed, then turned to leave. "Thank you for hearing me out, Granger. I'll see you around, as soon as I'm ready to. Be prepared for me to be a snarky git again."

"I'm always prepared for that," she said with a small chuckle, and he lifted a hand in farewell and opened the door. Behind it waited Theo, Blaise and Ginny, all of whom looked from Hermione to Draco in surprise. She raised an eyebrow, noticing the end of the Extendable Ear poking out of Ginny's pocket, which she hastily tucked away with a guilty curse. Theo and Blaise at least had the decency to look ashamed of themselves.

Draco raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, then turned without a word and headed away down the corridor. The trio watched him go, then crowded inside the room, eyes cast down to the floor, awaiting their inevitable scolding. Hermione just sighed and rolled her eyes. "You two," she said, addressing Ginny and Blaise, "should learn to keep your noses out of other peoples' business. And you," she looked at Theo and he refused to meet her eyes, "I'm a little hurt that you didn't stop them, and a lot hurt if it was because you didn't trust me. That said, we're one-for-one now on eavesdropping conversations with Draco, so I'd be a hypocrite if I told you off too much. But that's it, we're even. No more."

"It wasn't because I don't trust you," Theo blurted hastily, "I didn't want to listen, but then they told me it was Draco in there, and I thought that maybe you'd choose him over me, and if that was the case I didn't want to be here when you opened the door…"

"So, in other words, you didn't trust me," Hemione replied, teasing him but keeping a stern face on.

"No! I knew you weren't snogging or anything! I never thought you'd do that!" Theo protested, looking to Blaise for support, but Blaise held his hands up and stepped back.

"Not believing the fact that I love you and I wouldn't leave you for anything," she said, stepping closer to him, "is the same as not trusting me."

"It's still just hard to believe you'd choose me over him," Theo admitted. "When you're given another chance like that – well, I wouldn't have blamed you."

Hermione shook her head sadly. "We really need to get you over these self-esteem issues of yours. This is it, Theo," she said, gesturing between them, "this is us. You and me. We. Not changing. OK?"

"Okay," he replied with a breathless smile, and she kissed him gently.

"Right, now that's over with, let's get started on revision, shall we?"


	9. Chapter 9

January soon wore on into February, and with it came the usual Valentine's fever that gripped Hogwarts. Hermione was completely over it, this year just like every year, not because she didn't like romance but because it felt so forced, so unnatural. What was so special about February 14th? If you loved someone, you loved them every day of the year, at least that's what she'd always believed. Ginny and the other girls had always put it down to her not having a boyfriend, but this year she had one and, as she smugly pointed out to her ginger friend, she felt exactly the same. It was pragmatism, not envy.

Unfortunately, Theo had managed to get it into his head that he had to do something special for her or with her – probably not helped by Blaise, who was busy organizing Merlin knew what for Ginny, owl orders arriving every day at his table and being secretively smuggled away before she could look at them too closely. Hermione had tried to tell him she simply didn't care, but Theo seemed to think it was a trap of some kind, that she'd be expecting him to do something even though she told him she didn't mind, and if he didn't he'd fail some sort of boyfriend test. She sighed, frustrated that he didn't believe her, but she conceded to the fact that he'd never had a girlfriend before and was basing his speculation solely off of horror stories that other men had told him. Hopefully in time he'd realise she wasn't like the vapid Slytherin girls his friends dated and he'd calm down about it – for now, though, she prepared herself to try and endure – er, enjoy – whatever he'd planned for her.

The trouble was that Valentine's was a Hogsmeade weekend, as always, and the whole school would be going. This included Draco, who would likely be taking a few drinks at the local pub, and he would think it strange if Theo wasn't there, because as far as Draco knew, Theo was single. On the other hand, he would find it strange if Hermione _was_ there, because he'd be expecting her to spend time with her new beau. It was a very delicate dance they were trying to accomplish and Hermione couldn't help but feel that sooner or later something was going to give. After her chat with Draco the other day she was feeling more positive about his reaction, but she still thought it was definitely too soon for him to know it was Theo, his friend, who had caught Hermione's interest. The possibility for bad blood was still too real and she didn't want to be the cause of any kind of animosity between friends.

Thus, Theo was caught in the unenviable position of trying to organize something wonderful for his girlfriend on Valentine's Day that was also entirely secret, within the confines of Hogsmeade and which may or may not, depending on the timing, have to occur without his being present. No wonder he was frazzled about it, thought Hermione with a shake of her head. He should be putting more effort into his NEWT scores than silly things like Valentine's Day. They'd have a hundred Valentine's Days in the future, if he wanted to celebrate them. She caught herself thinking about a future with Theo and smiled. It wasn't the first time she'd imagined it.

Hermione was, naturally, a very forward-thinking woman. It wouldn't do to plan only a few days or weeks ahead, because then how could you properly organize your life? No, Hermione thought months into the future at all times, hence her tendency to begin exam prep very early and do homework the night it was set instead of the day it was due. This stretched over into her love life, and had been a consistent source of worry during her relationship with Ron, as he had very clearly pictured their future together like Molly and Arthur's, and she still didn't know how many children she even wanted, if any. This had been a major discomfort to her, wanting to plan ahead but not knowing how, and probably contributed to the awkwardness and the eventual break-up. With Draco, she'd been attempting to just live in the moment for a while, and now she saw how damaging a lack of foresight when it came to these things could be. So, now she was with Theo, she had gone back to thinking about the future.

She didn't know how well their relationship would be received outside Hogwarts. Though Theo himself hadn't been a Death Eater, his father was a notorious one, and the Nott family had been involved in Dark magic since the sixth century when they first arrived from Scandinavia. She had done her research about all the old families whilst on the run with Harry, hoping that one of the heirlooms in the more prominent bloodlines might have been a Horcrux, and she well remembered how often she'd seen his surname come up. She realized that the gossipmongers would absolutely pick up on this fact, though she didn't know how they'd take it. People loved a good scandal, and "Golden Girl Getting into Bed with Son of Notorious Death Eater" had a ring to it – had it still been Rita Skeeter writing for the paper, she was sure that would be the headline. On the other hand, perhaps they'd see another angle, like "Dark to Light: Redemption for Outcast Son as he Takes Up With Golden Granger".

Either way, Hermione didn't care. She had never cared what the gossipy journalists wrote about her, though it had always pained her to see how it had affected Harry. She hoped Theo would feel the same, so they could go on being together after they left school. She certainly still wanted to be with him, and she guessed he did as well, and if that was the case she didn't want to let something like public opinion divide them. She supposed he would be used to the bad press in some ways, though he had never been one of the front-line targets for the reporters in the past.

The one thing that worried her, though, besides the immediate problem which was telling Malfoy, Ron and Harry, was that Theo wanted to become a teacher here at Hogwarts, while she had always dreamed of going into the Ministry and rewriting the laws in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures (which, by the way, she hated the name of as well. Regulation? Control? At the very least, sentient beings such as werewolves and centaurs and elves deserved a separate division, like a sort of embassy.) She had very strong views about it and had been yearning to make it her career ever since fourth year. If Theo wanted to work at Hogwarts, though, it would be very difficult to organize, thanks to the restrictive enchantments surrounding the castle. She could Apparate into Hogsmeade, but that would mean a long walk for either her or Theo every time he wanted to see her; and though it was technically possible to Floo into Hogwarts if the channel was connected, getting a house onto the list of permitted residences was damn near impossible no matter who lived in it, because of hundreds of years of legislation had been written to prevent that very thing for the castle's safety. The Burrow was one of the Order's safe houses, so it had been added some time ago – thankfully, or it would have been much more difficult at Christmas – but the chances of her managing to get an exception made for a new dwelling just for her were very slim indeed, war heroine or not. Sometimes, she wished she didn't know _Hogwarts: a History_ so well. It would be blissful to live in ignorance.

Then again, she shouldn't even be thinking about this, should she? Theo was probably thinking about what to have for dinner tonight, and here she was imagining problems in their future that possibly wouldn't even exist. She sighed, clipping the Mandrake in front of her a little too voraciously, and it cried out in protest.

"Sorry," she muttered, looking over her shoulder to check that Professor Sprout hadn't seen her mistake. Having been wrenched out of her musings, she finished pruning it quickly and repotted it before it could kick up any more of a fuss, then dusted off her gloves and put her depressing thoughts about her and Theo's future out of her mind, and went to see how Ginny was doing. Her red-headed friend was notoriously rubbish at Herbology.

Soon enough, Valentine's Day came, and Hermione had agreed to third-wheel it with Ginny and Blaise for a little while. Theo had begged her to go into Hogsmeade, telling her he had a surprise for her and that she absolutely had to be there, but Hermione refused to go alone, so Ginny had offered to let her tag along for the first half of their date. She was very grateful, and cursed her lack of single available friends – the only one left in the castle was Luna, and Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that that wasn't even true anymore. After her visit to Rolf Scamander at Christmas she had been increasingly withdrawn and secretive, and she'd received a rose in the owl post just this morning. Hermione didn't think it would be long before she, too, was announcing her new relationship.

Why was it so simple for everyone except her?

She knew the answer to that, of course.

Because she'd gone and screwed it all up for herself.

She sighed, trying not to let her brain get in the way of her having a good time today. Theo had planned something for her and she was very excited to see what the day would bring. Not to mention she'd have the chance to spend some time with her friends and take a little break from studying. There were a lot of positives, and she tried not to think of the one negative – that if she was being forced to go into Hogsmeade with everyone else today and take part in this holiday she found so distasteful, then at the very least, she would have liked to do it with the man she loved on her arm, laughing as she told him how she didn't believe in all this commercialization with that happy sparkle in his eye.

She would admit it. She really missed him.

She allowed Ginny to take her arm and lead her out of the castle, following the happy couple beside her, pulling her scarf further around her neck for warmth. It was still very cold for February, with no hint of the springtime buds on the trees yet appearing. She shivered; whatever Theo had planned for her, she dearly hoped it would be indoors. She'd never been a fan of the cold.

It wasn't long before they were sat in the warm interior of the Three Broomsticks, Blaise ordering them all Butterbeers as the girls divested themselves of cloaks, scarves and earmuffs. The pub was full, with residents of Hogsmeade and students alike all celebrating Valentine's Day; Hermione even caught sight of Professor Sprout with Professor Flitwick at a table in the corner. Blaise fought his way through the chattering crowds back to them and they gratefully accepted their drinks. Hermione couldn't see Theo, Draco and Goyle anywhere, so she presumed they must have gone to the Hog's Head instead. She hoped Theo was having fun, in spite of the fact that they couldn't spend the day together.

"So what romantic surprise do you think you-know-who has planned for you?" Ginny asked eagerly, as if reading Hermione's mind.

"When you say it like that it sounds like you're talking about Voldemort," Hermione replied, "and that's just…all I can think about now."

"Eww," Ginny said, wrinkling her nose. "Yeah, we should really find an alternative way of saying you-know-who now, because he's kind of spoiled that for us all."

"That, among a few other things," Blaise said lightly. "But I agree, that's by far the most important issue." Ginny smacked him with a laugh, and Hermione smiled.

"Seriously, though," Ginny pressed, "I bet it's amazing. Blaise said he's been cooped up in the dorm all week planning it."

Hermione looked at Blaise, who shrugged. "He didn't get you anything for Christmas, you got him this awesome quill, and then that really nice jumper for his birthday. Not to mention Draco gave you a rare edition of a book you love. He feels like he has something to prove, I think."

Hermione shook her head. "That's silly. I got him those things because I thought he'd like them, not because I wanted anything in return."

"That's just like you, Hermione," Ginny said with a soft smile. "I can see where he's coming from, though. It must be hard to be with someone as thoughtful as you are, because he'll feel overwhelmed by all this thought and kindness you put into your gifts and then he's helpless when it comes to being his turn. Even if you say you don't mind," she added as Hermione opened her mouth to argue.

Blaise nodded and sipped his drink. "Theo's rubbish at gift giving as it is."

Hermione sshhed him and frantically looked around her, hoping that in the last few minutes nobody from Hogwarts had walked past their table. Blaise rolled his eyes. "As if anyone could hear us in this place. I can barely hear myself."

"Shall we go somewhere else?" Ginny asked.

"Where else is there?" Blaise replied. "Hog's Head will be just as packed as this place except with more people you'd rather not meet. And I'll die before I step foot in Madame Puddifoot's."

"Oh, but I made us lunchtime reservations," Ginny mock wailed. "My day is ruined!"

Hermione snorted. "You're less likely to ever walk in there than Blaise is."

Ginny laughed. "Yeah, I could barely keep a straight face. But it is seriously packed in here, maybe we should take a walk and see if there's anywhere less busy?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "You know something."

Ginny started, then feigned innocence. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Ginevra Weasley," Hermione admonished, "you know something. What do you know?"

"Merlin," Ginny said, shaking her head, "you're like a Niffler finding coins. I don't know how you manage to see through me every time." She drained her drink and stood up. "I'm not telling you anything, but I would strongly advise that we go for a walk and perhaps you'll see for yourself what you think you might already know."

"A very Slytherin answer," Blaise commended, touching his girlfriend lightly on the shoulder and pushing back his chair. "Shall we go, then?"

"Alright," Hermione conceded, and stood herself, re-wrapping her scarf and following them out of the door, threading through the crowd of people. "I hope it's not far, it looks like it's about to start snowing again."

Ginny declined to comment and simply urged her onwards. Blaise followed them both with a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth as he watched his girlfriend. Hermione smiled herself as she saw the pure adoration in his gaze. Harry, even at the end, had never looked at Ginny like that. Her friend deserved someone who would treat her like the only woman in the world, and that look in Blaise's eyes gave her no doubt that there was nobody else on his mind. Sometimes she'd caught Theo looking at her the same way, and the thought made her stomach squirm in joy. They'd really got it together this year, her and Ginny, left the past behind and managed to move on with their lives, even as everyone around them told them they couldn't, that Hogwarts would hold too many memories. Well, she thought defiantly, memories could be written over with better ones, could be replaced – and with magic, far too easily in some cases, her brain added, unsolicited and bitter.

The thought was suddenly wiped from her head as she realized her feet knew the familiar trail they were taking. "Gin, why are we going to the Shrieking Shack?"

"Would you, for once, stop thinking about _literally everything_ and just enjoy the moment?" Ginny asked exasperatedly, and Hermione smiled in spite of herself. She was glad to have friends who weren't afraid to put her in her place sometimes and force her to relax. Lord knows neither of the boys had ever been able to manage it – though Harry had got better as he matured.

They rounded the corner of the last house in the village and started up the snowy trail towards the Shack. Hermione noted that there was already a set of fairly fresh footprints leading up the hill, though the very light snowfall had begun to fill them in, so it must have been at least an hour ago. She wondered if they were Theo's. Then she remembered with a sick feeling why she knew so much about tracking, and footprints, and memories of the last winter came flooding back to her. Memories of the last time she'd seen the Shrieking Shack, when Snape- _Severus_ -had been-

No. She forced the images away into the corner of her mind, refusing to remember the war today. Not today. She could handle this. She bravely followed Ginny up the slope, cresting the hill and laying eyes on the building for the first time in nearly a year. It was still as derelict as ever, sitting quiet and unassuming on its little hillock, covered in snow and without a soul around. Hermione swallowed and made her way towards it, continuously forcing down the rush of memories that threatened to overwhelm her. Nagini. Voldemort's high, cold laugh. Severus's last moments. Harry with the vial…

Something caught her attention at the base of the fence. The distraction was welcome and she headed towards it, barely conscious of Ginny and Blaise following her, hanging back. She knelt down in the snow to inspect what turned out to be a small note curled into a scroll and tied with a ribbon, placed carefully under a fence post to shield it from the snow. She took it carefully and unfurled it, sure it was for her, her trembling fingers untying the ribbon with care. Though she had not been lying when she said she didn't really care about receiving anything for Valentine's Day, now that she was here and Theo had put together this big surprise for her, she couldn't help but be excited, her heart beating faster as she read his neat script on the parchment.

 _Hermione,_

 _I love you. I can't say those three words enough, now I'm finally allowed to express them to you after so many years of admiring you from afar, hoping you'd one day be mine. I'll never stop feeling lucky that you looked my way, and I'll never stop trying to be enough of a man to deserve you. I hope this gift I have organized goes some way to showing you what you mean to me, and what hope I have for our future together._

 _Yours forever,_

 _Theo_

Their future? So he was thinking about it, too? The thought made her heart swell up happily. She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Ginny smiling down at her, presenting her with a little flat disc. She took it, curious, and Ginny conjured a blanket and motioned for her to sit down. Blaise settled next to them and watched, seemingly cogniscent of what was going on. She inspected the disc closely, but it was just a blank slip of metal with no markings or any other clues as to its purpose.

"Just wait," Ginny said, looking at her watch.

Hermione acquiesced, leaning back against the fence post. It was so peaceful out here, just her and her friends, with nobody else coming close to the Shack even now. She turned the disc over idly in her hands, wondering what it could entail. She'd certainly never seen something of its like before. Ginny's hand found hers and squeezed it, and she was momentarily surprised. Then, the disc in her hand began to vibrate, and she released it by instinct. It floated up in front of her and a picture appeared, almost like a screen, but the resolution was closer to a wizarding photo.

The difference from a wizarding photo, though, was the sound. Hermione could hear everything that came through the disc, as if she were looking into a Pensieve, and what she saw and heard had her spellbound.

It was her parents.

 _Her parents._

She hadn't seen them since after the War last May, when she'd gone back to consult with the Australian Ministry about their presence in the country and confirm their residential status. They'd told her then that there was no hope of restoring their memories and that they would update her if there was any bad news, but she had left it at that, knowing that seeing them again, trying to be involved in the lives of people she loved so much who would never remember her, would be too hard. She hadn't heard anything from the Ministry since, luckily, and that, as far as she was concerned, was that.

Now, though, as she saw the two of them relaxing together on a porch in the sunshine, her mother with one of the fruity drinks she enjoyed so much and her father with his traditional sun hat on that he'd worn every time they'd gone on holiday, her heart clenched in recognition and pain. She'd missed them so much – she _did_ miss them so much. Ginny's hand squeezed hers tighter and Hermione realized that the ginger girl had known this was coming. Was this Theo's present to her? A glimpse into her parents' lives? If so, she was grateful for the thought, but she didn't know how she felt about it right now. It was all so fresh and hard to digest.

Then, suddenly, the picture changed, swirling around, and Hermione realized she was looking into a memory. Whose, she didn't know, but she recognized the swirling threads that made up the magic of a Pensieve and realized that the disc must be a portable one. The picture cleared, and she was seeing the inside of an office, with a kindly-looking man smiling at her. Or, at whoever's memory it was.

"A tough case, to be sure," the man sighed, riffling through a set of parchment on his desk. A wizard, then. He ran a hand through his hair. "There _might_ be a way. Painless, naturally, and with as little disruption to their lives as possible. But it'll be costly, and it'll take time."

"Money is no object," she heard the voice of the person whose eyes she saw through say firmly, and realized it was Theo. This was Theo's memory. What had he done? Her heart beat frantically. "How long do you think it will take, and what are the chances of success?"

The man sighed again. "Months, at least. Maybe a year. The reintroduction of memory is a difficult process, especially with such a strong Memory Charm having removed them in the first place, and with it being cast on Muggles – every extra complexity box is ticked. But – I think I can do it."

"And you're sure it'll cause no harm to them at all?" Theo pressed. Hermione felt the urgency in his voice, and her throat almost closed up at the implications of what this memory meant.

"None. Minimal disruption, a couple of visits from people they'll believe are housing surveyors or something of the sort, and constant surveillance to check on progress, but absolutely zero chance of any memory loss or physical harm." Now the man seemed to be a lot more confident, explaining himself to Theo with a kind smile. "The worst case scenario is that it doesn't work and they continue on as before."

"Thank you for your time," Theo said, standing up and shaking the man's hand. "I'll be in touch."

The memory swirled away, and Hermione realized she was shaking. The Ministry had told her it was impossible. Experts up and down the country had said, it's too risky, permanent memory damage, delicate Muggle minds – she'd heard everything, or at least she thought she had. There was no way. She'd accepted it and tried to move on. Where had Theo found this man, and more importantly, _why?_ What had she ever done for him to warrant his devoting time to this and even leaving school to meet with someone about it? She thought about Christmas, in the snow, when she'd told him her parents' fate and how he'd sighed, and said he never knew what it was like to have parents that loved him. Her heart ached, and she didn't know what to think.

"Hermione," said Blaise to her right, and she turned to him in a daze. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said, not wanting her friends to worry. She was okay. She was more than okay, but she needed to see Theo, and most importantly, she needed to find out what the result of that meeting had been. He had shown her this for a reason. He wouldn't have given her hope just to dash it again. So was the process going ahead?

"Here," Blaise said, and produced from inside his pocket a piece of parchment, folded over and shrunk, then restored it to normal size and handed it to Hermione. "Read this. If you want to do it, then just sign on the line. It'll put everything into motion straightaway. If you don't, none of us will think any less of you. Theo wanted this to be your decision to make, in the end. But he thought he would give you all the information first – _all_ the information, not just what some entry-level idiots at St. Mungo's told you. He doesn't have a family anymore, so it's very important to him that you find yours, if you want to."

Hermione scanned the contract, her brain in overdrive and her heart pounding. She blanched at the price written on the top of the contract and opened her mouth to object, but Blaise followed her eyes and cut her off before she could say a word. "The money is no object, Theo said it himself. This is a tiny drop in the ocean of the Nott family fortune, so don't think you're inconveniencing him at all. Just think about whether this is what _you_ want and ignore the rest."

Hermione found it difficult to imagine the kind of wealth Theo must have, but she put that aside for now as Blaise suggested and read past it, checking every detail. Her parents were within her reach. All she had to do was sign. She read it over again to be sure.

 _Virtually no disruption to the subjects' lives._

 _No chance of memory loss or physical harm._

 _Wendell and Monica Wilkins are Jean and Richard Granger. This process will attempt to restore all original memories and provide proof to the subjects that their current lives are falsified._

Seeing her parents' names written down in front of her, their real names, made her decision for her. They could not possibly be harmed by this process, either physically or mentally, and if she could give them back their lives, the ones she'd taken away, and restore their real memories, it was worth trying anything. With a shaky hand she took the quill Blaise proffered her and scrawled her signature messily on the line at the bottom, trying not to let the tears fall from her eyes and smudge the ink.

"YES!" shouted Ginny, and pulled Hermione into a hug. "I knew it!"

Hermione gripped her, letting the tears finally fall, while Blaise sighed in relief. "I told him this was a risk, but he was determined to see it through. He thought you deserved a chance to have a real family again."

"I thought she had wonderful parents who loved her, and that it would be a shame if she never saw them again," a voice confessed, and a familiar head of black hair walked casually over the top of the hill, hands in pockets and looking for all the world like he was out for a jaunty stroll, if not for the carefully crafted smile that Hermione could see right through to the nervousness beneath.

She shot up and barreled towards him, saying nothing but crashing straight into his chest and hugging him for all he was worth. He looked surprised but held her gently, putting his head on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her supportively. "Hey, you. Happy Valentine's Day."

"You…" Hermione was, for once, lost for words, tears still shining in her eyes. "How did you do this?"

Theo shrugged, still in her embrace. "I've been working on it since Christmas. Even while we were apart – it was important to me. You spent the whole war being this shining beacon of hope for everyone even while you were hurting on the inside, and now it's over and in the past, it's not fair that you of all people should have to keep suffering for our mistakes. For our sins. So I set about taking the first step to try to make it right, to try to fix what we, collectively, did to you."

"Oh, Theo," Hermione breathed, "you know it wasn't your fault. It's not up to you to try and fix everyone else's mistakes, you weren't even a Death Eater-"

"No, but my father was," Theo interrupted, looking sick, "and I'm going to spend my life and the dirty money he left me trying to undo all the bad that he did, and more. I want him rolling in his grave. Most importantly, though, this is about _you._ I'm your boyfriend and even if it weren't my social responsibility, I'd be glad to do it because I love you and I want you to be happy. And, I'll confess," he added, casting his eyes down, "I hoped to meet them someday. I want them to know me, to like me, I want us all to go out to dinner together and go on holidays like a real family. But of course that's ages away, and it's just a thought, it's really selfish, so if that's not what you-"

Hermione silenced him with a bruising kiss that conveyed _exactly_ how she felt about that prospect. The thought of Theo meeting her parents, parents she thought she'd never see again, that remembered her because of _him._ The thought of them all sitting together on a beach, laughing, drinking and toasting. The thought of them sharing Christmases and birthdays and maybe sometime in the future, her father walking her down the aisle to a beaming Theo at the other end…

Yes, it was exactly what she wanted.

"Thank you," she said simply, unable to express it in any other way.

"You're welcome," he replied, and kissed her again softly. She responded, drawing him into her, nibbling at his lip. His tongue swept out and she met it with her own, lost in the taste and feel of him. He let out a strangled gasp and pressed himself closer to her, letting her feel his body up against hers, gently threading his hand through her bushy hair, his other hand placed firmly around her waist. She leaned into him, kissing him for all she was worth, deliriously happy and overcome with many different emotions. They were so caught up in their kiss that neither of them noticed Blaise and Ginny leaving, hand in hand with matching smiles.

Neither of them noticed someone else approaching, either.

Lost in the feel of each other, neither saw the figure freeze in shock upon observing the scene. Neither saw his hands ball into fists, his jaw twitch and his eyes lower to the ground. It wasn't until he walked up to them, anger radiating from his frame and feet crunching in the fresh snow, and loudly exclaimed "What the fuck!?" that they jumped apart and turned to see the hurt face of Draco Malfoy witnessing the scene.

"Draco!" Theo stepped away from Hermione on instinct. "Look, please, you need to-"

"I _need_ to?" Draco said dangerously. "What do I _need to do,_ Theo? Because it seems to me that you need to explain, right now, what the fuck I just saw."

Theo ran a hand over his face. "Look, mate, this obviously isn't the best time or place to be having this conversation, so shall we go back to the common room?"

"You know what," Draco said, and for the first time his eyes met Hermione's. She flinched; they were full of hurt. He looked back at Theo. "Let's talk about it right here, since obviously, you weren't planning on telling me at all, and if I leave it here, now, I doubt we'll ever speak again. So tell me. How long have you two been together? And tell me the truth."

"It's complicated-" Theo began, but Hermione cut him off. "Since Christmas, Draco. I told you that I kissed the man I liked at Christmas. It was Theo. We broke it off for a little while, because it wasn't fair to you, then got back together at Theo's birthday party after our confrontation."

Draco looked at her. "Thank you for your honesty. And for the record, I'm not upset with you. You did everything you could have to let me down gently, you've been straight with me the whole time about this, and though I wish you'd picked me, I'm not immature enough to be angry with you over that. I do wish you'd told me who he was, but I understand why you didn't."

"You, on the other hand," he rounded on Theo, who quailed, "are a fucking disgusting excuse for a human. You're supposed to be my friend, and you fuck around behind my back with the love of my life and you don't even have the balls to tell me what you're doing. And after our discussion at Christmas, when you told me to go for it with her, as well. You're a fucking hypocrite. If you'd told me about you two then, sure, I would have been angry, but at the very least I would have respected you for being the kind of man who can stand up to my face and tell me you want her. I understand how love works, I'm not stupid, and I know that she chose you just as much as you chose her; but right now I'm honestly struggling to understand why, because you're a shit friend and a fucking coward."

Theo was shaking, his eyes downcast, and Hermione didn't know what to do. She wanted to step in and defend him, to tell Malfoy none of it was true and that Theo was being considerate, not cowardly, but she didn't even know if that was what he would want when his manhood was being called into question. He finally looked up at Draco's narrowed eyes and she saw that the shaking had been with barely controlled anger. She had never seen such fury in his eyes before.

"Don't you fucking say one more word," he spat. "I'm a shit friend, am I? All I tried to do was help you. I told you to go for her because I honestly, genuinely believed she'd want you. At Christmas when you sent her that gift I fucking broke up with her, I let her go _for you._ Because I wanted _you_ to have _your shot_ with the girl _you loved,_ and I'd just fade into the fucking background like I always do because I'm Theo and that's my only fucking purpose in life. Hermione is the one who made me see that was bullshit, who made me feel like I'm actually worth a damn, which none of you ever have. I didn't say anything to you after we got back together because I didn't want to rock the boat, I didn't want to rub this in your face when you'd just lost her. You know what, though, now you're accusing me of being a coward and a shit friend, well, I'm not going to pander to your feelings anymore. Yes, Hermione and I are together. Yes, I fucking love her more than my own life. Yes, I'm going to stand up and tell everyone at Hogwarts and at the _Daily Prophet_ that she's my girlfriend, because I'm fucking honoured that she chose to be with me, and I won't have any more assholes like you telling me I don't deserve her."

Draco set his jaw, then with startling speed drew his hand back and punched Theo square in the face. The crunch was sickening, and Hermione stifled a gasp as Theo staggered backwards, clutching at his nose and crying out in pain. "Fucking Merlin, Draco!"

"That was for sneaking around with her behind my back," Draco explained, now remarkably calm, waving his hand in the air to shake off the pain of the punch. "Glad to see you've finally grown a pair and learned how to stand up for yourself. We even?"

Theo nodded grudgingly and shook Draco's hand with the one that wasn't currently holding his broken nose in place. "Even."

Hermione watched, completely nonplussed, as the animosity between the two men mostly dissipated in the space of a few minutes. Draco fixed Theo's nose with his wand, Theo apologized to her for swearing so much and then the two boys talked about the weekend's Quidditch results as she followed them back down the hill. She couldn't believe that all that sneaking around they'd done had been for the sake of a five minute argument. She also couldn't believe that such a complicated issue was solved so quickly between them, and when she brought it up, they both shrugged. "We might be Slytherins, but we're still men. For disagreements like this, a punch usually does the trick," Draco explained to her. "If you were my wife, maybe we'd have to start a family feud, but for now, we're good."

"It was worth the punch," Theo assured her, slipping a hand round her back and resting his head on her shoulder as they walked. "What d'you reckon they have for dinner in the Great Hall? I'm starving."

Hermione shook her head. Sometimes she thought men were a whole other species.


	10. Chapter 10

It didn't take long for the whispers to start. The moment they came within sniffing distance of Hogwarts, the three of them together with Theo's hand firmly intertwined with Hermione's, the eyes started taking notice. Theo looked nervously at her as the first pack of students began talking in hushed tones, clearly wondering if she thought this was a good idea, but Hermione was defiant – this was _her_ relationship and it was going to come out sooner rather than later. She would send an owl to Harry and Ron tonight, so they didn't have to hear from the _Prophet,_ but other than those two she didn't really care who knew or how they reacted. The people that mattered were here at Hogwarts, and they were all very happy for them. She knew Theo didn't have anyone on the outside he even spoke to, so his concern was entirely for her, and while she thought it was very sweet, it was totally unnecessary. After what he had done for her today, she was more than proud to show him off to the world.

When they reached the Great Hall, Theo stopped at the Gryffindor table, clearly unsure what to do. Hermione smiled and leaned up to kiss him gently, whispering, "Meet me in the Room of Requirement later on." Theo grinned into the kiss, ignoring the stares, then released her with a nod and went back to Draco, who had been pointedly looking away from them, and together they made their way across the Hall to the Slytherin table. Hermione sank into her seat, alone as Neville and Seamus were still out, as were Parvati and Dean and Ginny and Blaise. She was glad of the solace for the moment, though; she had so much to digest from today that she could barely get even her overactive head around it.

Her parents – Theo had found them and was helping her bring them back. There was a chance it wouldn't work, Hermione forced herself to remember, but if it did – she'd have a whole family again. She would have the chance to make up for what she did to them during the war, to give them their real lives back, and hopefully if they weren't too angry with her, she could introduce them to Theo, proudly show them her NEWT results, talk about the future…she'd never thought she would have the opportunity to do that again, and now Theo, her wonderful Theo had made it happen. She couldn't believe the lengths he had gone to for her sake – not to mention the money it had cost him, which while Blaise assured her it was barely a fraction of his fortune, was still an unbelievable amount – and more than ever she found herself unable to imagine a future without his presence in it.

It was crazy, she thought. She hadn't even known him at all in September when they came back to school, and now it was February and he meant more to her than she could even fully comprehend. Of course, he had liked her for a lot longer, so she was sure that at least on his part he didn't feel like it was sudden at all, but for her this was very out of the blue, and pretty uncharacteristic to get so swept up in her feelings and fall so hard so quickly. After all, it had taken her seven years to finally get anything together with Ron. The last time she'd done anything so spontaneous before this year was accepting Viktor Krum's invitation to the Yule Ball; but, she reflected, in the end, she was pretty happy with the results. Now that Draco was dealt with, the issues were out of their way and she and Theo could look forward to their future together.

She finished up her dinner in a happy daze and left to go to the Owlery. The first thing she needed to do was get that letter sent to Harry and Ron, to make sure they heard her version of events before the newspapers reached them. Then, she would go straight to the Room of Requirement. Though she didn't have as much time to prepare a surprise as Theo had, she was determined to get into the spirit and give him a fantastic Valentine's Day evening after what he'd done for her. Somehow, she'd make it work.

A few hours later, Hermione sat slightly nervously awaiting Theo's arrival. She had made the Room of Requirement into a cosy living room reminiscent of the one at her parents' house, with a small fireplace and long, luxurious couch, and had dug out a bottle of champagne from her trunk. She'd been saving it all year, hoping to enjoy it with Ginny after graduation, but this occasion certainly warranted its use. She would be able to get some more before they graduated, after all, and she hoped that now, there would be many more of them celebrating together, so just the one bottle wouldn't nearly be enough. She had also Transfigured her clothes into something a little more…she didn't really think she looked _sexy,_ per se, but she'd given it a shot. She wasn't very good at fashion Transfiguration, having found it an incredibly vapid and boring topic in fifth year. Now she wished she'd cared to practice a little more.

She was distracted out of her nervous musings by the sound of the door opening, and she straightened up, trying to look alluring. Theo peered round the frame, then caught sight of her and stepped inside, letting out a low whistle. "Hermione, wow, you look…amazing."

"Thanks," she replied shyly, aware of how revealing her current outfit was and of how his gaze seemed to be burning into her skin. It didn't make her feel afraid or nervous though; behind the clear lust was a deep and tender adoration, so his appreciative stare made her swell with confidence. "I thought it would be nice to do this – just the two of us."

"Yeah," he replied, and his gaze met hers with a soft smile. "It's been a long day, and I can't think of anything I'd rather do right now than spend time with you. Just the two of us."

He stepped into the room properly and she moved to meet him, snaking her arms round his neck and burying her face in it. His scent filled her nose and she gripped him tighter, hearing him sigh as he held her, his hands softly running over her back. "Hi," she said breathlessly, thinking this was the first time she'd felt grounded all day.

"Hi, you," he replied happily, his eyes closed and head resting on top of hers. They drew apart and Hermione indicated the champagne on the table. "Would you like a glass?"

"Of course," Theo said, sitting down on the long couch, casually slinging his arms over the back and looking around the room. "I love what you've done with this room, by the way. It feels really cosy."

"It's modelled on my parents' living room," Hermione explained, handing him a glass, and her smile was barely contained as she added, "I hope one day soon you'll be able to see the real thing, if you want to."

Theo's gaze softened. "Of course I want to, if they'd have me. I'm under no illusions – I'm not exactly the catch of the century for someone's daughter, with my family history - particularly a daughter as brilliant as you who could have anyone she wanted. I won't be surprised if they're not keen on me."

"They'll love you because I do," Hermione stated firmly, filling her own glass and sitting down beside him. "Not to mention you were the one who found the way to bring them back to me. I really can't wait for them to meet you, and get to know you, and for us all to be a real family – well, I mean, if you-" she stuttered and went a little pink, realising that she hadn't properly spoken to him yet about the prospect of their future. "Don't feel pressured, if you don't want to," she finished lamely, realising how it sounded but unable to take back what she'd said before. She could barely meet his eyes. When she did look up, his visage was a mix of amusement and wonder.

"You could never make me feel pressured," he assured her, his hand brushing hers gently, "I want everything with you, if you'll let me. I want to be a part of your life for as long as you want me in it, and that is not going to change. I've known I want you for four years already. You're the most beautiful woman in the world to me, and here you are with me on Valentine's Day. Please, never feel like you're asking too much of me, because you never could and never will. I'm yours."

Hermione smiled, her blush now fully taking over her face. "I have to admit, I've been thinking about our future, but I wasn't sure how to bring it up with you. That's not a topic for right now, though," she added as Theo looked interested. "We can talk about that anytime, but right now it's Valentine's Day and you did an absolutely amazing thing for me today, so I want to celebrate properly. Let's relax and have a toast; here's to my parents getting their memories back safe and sound, and to our future together as a family. All of us."

Theo raised his glass and it clinked against hers gently; then they both downed it in one go, grinning at each other. The Slytherin shook his head slightly, dark hair flicking over his head. "I still can't believe how lucky I am," he murmured, eyes travelling all over her face as if trying to memorise her every feature. "You are everything I've ever wanted and more. I'm still waiting to wake up from this dream and see you with Draco again."

Hermione giggled. "No thanks. I'd like to keep you instead, if it's all the same to you."

Theo grinned. "He's happy for us, you know," he said, pouring them both a second glass of champagne. "We had a chat this afternoon for a while. On some level he was fully aware you didn't reciprocate his feelings, and he told me he saw the way you looked at me on the hill today – his words, "I've never seen someone so in love, though Merlin knows why it's with you," - and he said that he'd not do anything to interfere with that. He wants us to be happy. Well, more specifically, you."

"A very mature observation," Hermione mused, sipping at her champagne this time instead of drinking it all in one. "I'm glad you two are going to stay friends. I didn't want to do anything to get in the way of that. Who knows, maybe one day I'll even be able to call Draco my friend too."

"I think it'll be sooner than you think," Theo replied, snuggling closer to her. It was very warm in the room thanks to the merry crackling fire, but nevertheless Hermione found herself drawn into his body, curling up under his arm. "But honestly – the last thing I want to do right now is think about him."

"Agreed," Hermione answered, and looked up into his eyes. He was watching her with a slightly nervous but very intense gaze, and she realised what he wanted, but was too afraid to ask for. Too afraid of…what? Rejection? No, it wouldn't be that. After she had gone to the effort to arrange this room, in this style, with alcohol and mood lighting and wearing what little she had on, he knew she wouldn't deny him. Perhaps because he was a virgin? That had to be it. He was probably worried he'd disappoint her somehow. As if that was even possible, and besides, she was practically a virgin too. She opened her mouth, still unsure what she was about to say, but even as she did so, Theo seemed to reach some internal decision and leaned forward swiftly, capturing her lips before she could make a sound.

His kiss was fierce and passionate this time, igniting a spark in her stomach. He was trying to be dominant, to take control, and she gladly let him, allowing his tongue entrance to her mouth and tangling her hands in his hair as he moved closer. Gently he pushed her backwards on the couch and she let him, pulling him down with her so his body was on top of hers, their lips locked together, her hands in his beautiful thick hair. She felt his hands running over her body and shivered in pleasure at his touch. The tips of his long fingers stroked over her hips and she felt a tremor run all the way up her spine. He grinned into the kiss, obviously feeling the effect he had on her, and she felt a familiar stirring as his erection began to press into her insistently.

She pulled away from the kiss, panting, and hurriedly tried to unbutton the white oxford, pulled up to the elbows that she had come to associate with being just purely _Theo,_ desperately wanting to get at the smooth, bare skin underneath it. His eyes were hungry and possessive as he watched her work, helping her when the last button came undone by shrugging the garment off his shoulders and flinging it away over the couch, then crashing his lips back onto hers once more. She sighed into the kiss and explored her new prize with her hands, running them over his pale chest and all the way down his stomach to the waistband of his trousers.

Theo groaned as her fingers ghosted over his waist, and his hips bucked into hers, his growing member a clear indication of his arousal. His hands took hers and pulled them up above her head, then he broke the kiss to stare into her eyes fiercely. "I want to pleasure you first, this time," he said, "so you keep those hands out of my trousers until I'm done with you."

Surprised at his sudden display of dominance but certainly not complaining, Hermione nodded and when he released her wrists she kept her hands on his upper body as instructed. He pulled off the flimsy top she'd Transfigured and attempted to undo her bra, his fingers fumbling with the clasp; eventually it came loose and Hermione shrugged it off for him, baring her breasts. She barely had time to prepare herself before he was on them, his mouth suckling at one of her nipples while his fingers rolled the other between them. She gasped and gripped him tighter as his tongue swirled over her, her hips pushing upwards into him. "Oh, Merlin, Theo," she gasped, but then he pinched her nipple and the rest of her sentence turned into a moan of pleasure.

Pleased with her reaction, Theo did it again, learning quickly what she liked. He moved his mouth down lower, releasing her other breast and kissing down her stomach, his free hand tugging at her skirt. She helped him pull it off, her nether regions throbbing with want, and then removed her knickers and heard him draw his breath in slowly. "You're so beautiful," he said, and she realized it was the first time he'd actually seen her completely naked and ready for him – last time, it had been drunken fumblings with fingers under the covers. She smiled and brought a hand up to his cheek, which seemed to startle him out of his reverie.

"I'm sorry if I'm not – I've never done this before, obviously," he said, a blush rising under her hand as he said it.

"You don't have to," Hermione said kindly, though she wanted him to so much she could scream. "If you're not comfortable with it. Some men aren't."

"No, no," Theo hastily replied, looking aghast, "I really do want to. I want to know how you taste. Just, if I'm doing it wrong, please tell me."

"I promise," Hermione assured him, and watched as he lowered his head. She had taken the liberty of removing any hair down there earlier on just in case this were to happen, and now she was very glad she had. She felt his tongue connect tentatively with her skin and she threw her head back, her sensitive clit overwhelmed with a jolt of pleasure.

Encouraged, Theo licked her again, longer and slower, then leaned down and put his mouth over her entirely. She moaned as his tongue found her clit again and again, teasing it, swirling over it and causing her to grip his head with her legs and tangle her hands in his hair. She didn't have much experience of this either, but boy, did she like the way Theo did it. Before long, she felt waves of pleasure beginning to accumulate and managed to gasp out, "Th-Theo,", her hands firmly placed on his head, pushing him down as the waves broke and she collapsed into orgasm.

After she stopped shuddering, Theo extricated himself from between her legs and grinned. "Did I do alright?"

"You did that _very_ right," Hermione gasped breathlessly, still recovering. That had been one of the most intense orgasms she'd ever had. "Was it okay?"

"I loved that," he admitted. "You taste amazing. I could do it for ages. Not to mention the head massage you gave me was great."

Hermione laughed. "Sorry, instinct."

Theo pulled himself up on top of her again and kissed her. She could taste herself on him. "Never apologise. That was fantastic for me."

She smiled. "Well, I'm sure I can think of something that'd be even better."

Theo smiled back. "Then I hereby grant you permission to put your hands wherever you like."

Without any further ado, Hermione reached down to his trousers and pulled them down, followed shortly by his silken boxers. His penis jumped out at her, eager and ready for attention. She loved it just as much as the first time she'd seen it – the perfect size, and slightly darker than the rest of his skin, with a slight curve that made it easy to hold. She stroked it gently, reverently, and felt Theo shudder above her, his eyelids fluttering shut. She nudged him, pushing him down onto the couch, and he acquiesced, allowing her to clamber on top of him and sit over his legs. His length twitched under her grasp as she began to stroke it more firmly, exploring it, testing how his foreskin moved and the ministrations he seemed to like best.

After a little while, she found out that if she put her thumb over the tip and then made a long, languid stroke, Theo would groan and his entire member would jump in her hand. She began to do this over and over, spreading his precum all over the tip, pumping him until he began to protest. "H…Hermione…stop…don't want to – to –!" She understood and slowed down, allowing him to open his eyes and focus on her. "Don't want to come," he panted, and she loved the sight of his chest heaving up and down, all from her influence.

"Oh?" Hermione asked, feigning innocence as her fingers played with his balls lightly. "Why ever not?"

"You know," growled Theo, gripping her arms and roughly flipping them so she was once again on her back underneath him. "You know what I want to do."

"I don't believe I do," Hermione replied, challenging him teasingly, her hips rising to meet his member even as he positioned it at her entrance. Though this was only the second time she'd done this, she could already tell the difference – this time, she felt excited at the prospect, her vagina wet and ready, her body desperate to join with his. "You'll have to tell me."

"Or I could show you," Theo replied, continuing their little game, his eyes firmly searching hers even as his tip brushed her. He was checking for permission, one final time.

"Show me then," she told him, and felt him begin to slide inside her. It was very tight, and she had to guide him with her hand a little, but both of them sighed as the tip pushed in, and before long he was inside her fully, and Hermione had never felt so complete, or so happy. Though it hurt a little accommodating him, it was well worth the rush of love she felt at being finally completely connected with Theo in every possible way. He smiled down at her and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, and she leaned up to kiss him very gently on the lips.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too," he replied hoarsely, and then began to move his hips, slowly and gently at first, then upon seeing her reactions, building up to full speed. She arched into him, meeting his movements in a perfect rhythm, the bursts of pleasure getting faster and faster. She grabbed his bottom with her hands, desperately pulling him back in each time he withdrew, gasping and sighing even as he groaned deeply above her, his whole body vibrating with the very masculine sound. He leaned his head down and captured her breast in his mouth again, swirling his tongue over her nipple and sucking it roughly as he thrust into her, and she felt a deep thrill of pleasure at the treatment.

Naturally, it being his first time, it wasn't long before Theo suddenly froze and collapsed on top of her, shudders wracking his body as he came. Hermione whispered words of love in his ear, holding him to her tightly and stroking the back of his head with her fingers. He fell onto her chest and stroked her body with his hands as he recovered, breathing hard. Afterwards, he struggled to push himself up, still inside her, and his tired eyes met hers with a happy sparkle.

"That was…unbelievable," he said, his hand finding her cheek as he swallowed. "You are perfect."

"Back at you," Hermione replied, smiling. She genuinely didn't mind that it hadn't lasted long – stamina was something that was earned with practice, and she was planning on giving him a lot of that. "I love you so much."

"Couldn't possibly love you more," Theo said, shaking his head with a lopsided smile, and then slowly began to pull out of her. She sat up slightly, hastening the process, then cast a quick _Scourgify_ to clean up the couch. Unwilling to get dressed just yet, she lay down on her side and Theo took the hint, snuggling up behind her, both sweaty and exhausted but satiated and extremely happy.

"Definitely my best Valentine's Day ever," Hermione proclaimed, and Theo laughed and nuzzled at her neck, dropping small kisses on it that made her shiver.

"Think it was my best 'day' ever, period," he replied, and held her tighter. "I'm just…so grateful that I'm the one who's allowed to make you feel this way and do these things to you, and I swear, I'm never going to make you regret it. If Slytherins are anything we're damn loyal, and I'm yours, you've got me from now until forever. Do anything you want with me, Hermione, because I'm never letting go."

His words were so fervent that Hermione was overcome with emotion. She'd never felt so wanted, so cherished before in her life – she was just the bookworm, the third portion of the Golden Trio, one of the boys, the bushy-haired know-it-all forgotten in the corner of the library. Theo made her feel like a woman, like someone who deserved love and was capable of giving it in return. He made her feel whole.

She couldn't find the words to reply, so instead she cuddled further into her boyfriend and closed her eyes, hoping that somehow she could convey how much she cared about him through simple touch. He sighed and laid his head down beside her, and together they fell asleep to the sound of the gently crackling fire.


	11. Chapter 11

After Valentine's Day, things had shifted in Hermione's life, and the change was undeniable and apparent from the very first morning. When she'd arrived in the dorm, guiltily sneaking in first thing in the morning after waking up next to Theo in the Room of Requirement, both Ginny and Parvati had been waiting with raised eyebrows. From then on, her whole friendship group seemed to be aware of what had transpired between her and Theo, and though none of them were surprised, it equated to almost-constant teasing from one person or another. Theo had had it slightly easier for about a week until the gossip had passed to the Slytherin side of the group, and after that Blaise hadn't let up on him once. ("You're supposed to be a snake and a lion, not a pair of rabbits,", "I hope you didn't literally bang her brains out, or we'll all fail our exams,", "Seriously, though, no actually serious now, I swear. Hermione, is his dick bigger than Weasley's? Asking for a friend.") It was all in the name of fun, though, so neither of them minded too much, and would simply roll their eyes or share in the joke each time.

The same could not be said of the _Daily Prophet,_ however. It had taken three days for the paper to catch wind of their relationship after the events in Hogsmeade, and the stories had gradually transformed from _Slytherin Love Triangle: Granger Breaking Hearts Again_ through _Imperius Scandal: Is Nott Using Unforgivables?_ to finally end up at _Confirmed: 'Golden Girl' Granger Officially Dating Son of Death Eater, Theodore Nott._ She found it frankly ridiculous that not once had a reporter contacted any of them for information or attempted to find out the truth, but that once again they'd taken circumstantial evidence and out-of-context conversations and twisted it into a warped version of the truth. Luckily, Harry and Ron had received her message and managed to break the news gently to Mrs Weasley, the only other person Hermione didn't want to get the wrong impression, based on how cruel she'd been to her the last time the _Prophet_ had lied about her. The Aurors themselves weren't particularly thrilled to hear she was with Theo, but in their brief Floo call the day after Valentine's, Harry had shrugged and told her it was her life and her decision and they'd try to be nice, and Ron had muttered, 'at least he's better than Malfoy', which she chose to take as a win. After all, her relationship with Ron was still on rocky ground after that fiasco, so she hoped that his speaking to her and almost-verbally-accepting her relationship set a good precedent.

Honestly, in all of the hype and madness surrounding them, Hermione was very surprised that none of the teachers had approached her and spoken to her about it. If nothing else, they should be concerned that based on what the papers had spewed, students were apparently fornicating on school grounds. Not one of them said a word, though, even though she was sure they'd heard about her, and she wondered for a while if she was in trouble of some kind, until one day Professor McGonagall winked at her as she left Transfiguration and mouthed, "Nott's a good one." She'd blushed and fled, but thinking back on it now, she realized it was the Professor's way of encouraging her without being unprofessional, and that the Headmistress was probably the one behind the other teachers' lack of contact with her about the situation. For that, she was very grateful as she really wanted to focus on her studies now that the NEWTs were just around the corner.

She had doubled down on her revision schedule and tried to force her friends to do the same, but one by one now they were dropping like flies. Ginny and Blaise had already given up, claiming it was too difficult to keep up with Quidditch practice and her rigorous schedule, but she was well aware that Quidditch season was almost over and they were probably just off snogging somewhere. Luna, Neville and Seamus were still coming to the initial sessions she'd planned but refused to do the extra credit because 'come on, Hermione, we need a life.' Theo and Draco were the only two who continued to study with her at every session, Theo because he was desperate to get his Ancient Runes NEWT and was studying double time to make sure he passed, and Draco seemingly because he was bored and didn't have anything else to do, though Hermione suspected there was something deeper there as well. More than likely, he didn't want to let on that he actually had ambitions and cared about exams, because nobody was as diligent as she was without a proper reason, bored or not.

It was now coming up to the Easter break, and after weeks of long revision hours and poring over the same material day-in and day-out, even Hermione was ready for some time to relax. She was happy with how far they'd gotten, and although there was still more to do yet, the teachers had advised them that there would be two full weeks following the Easter break for in-class revision before the start of the exam season. This was enough to placate her, so after their final study session on the Friday before they broke up, Hermione threw down her quill with a sigh and stretched.

"Shall we call it a day there?" she asked the assembled students, everyone except Ginny and Blaise.

Neville slumped in his chair with relief. "Honestly, I haven't even taken in a word of this Charms textbook for the last hour. I was waiting for someone else to break first."

Seamus barked a laugh. "You too? I've been sketching Luna for a good while now." The girl in question leaned over to look at his work and nodded approvingly.

Hermione smiled exasperatedly. "Were any of you _actually_ working?" Guilty looks appeared all around her and she laughed. "Well, I'll admit I'm a hard taskmaster, so I suppose this one session I'll let you off. You should try to concentrate in the future, though, because I really think this is going to help you when it comes to your grades. It's just a couple more weeks and then it's over forever. Anyway, we're done now until after Easter, so shall we kick back and relax a bit?"

"Who's up for a swim?" Seamus asked eagerly, his eyes on the beautiful sun streaming through the window from the lake outside.

"Let me get my trunks," Neville replied, packing up, and Luna squealed in delight. "Meet you all by the shore?"

"I'm in," Theo shrugged, and looked at Hermione, almost as if asking permission. Hermione grinned and gave him a quick kiss. She didn't fancy swimming but she would happily sit with a book while the others went in the water. "See you all down there."

Draco, who until this point hadn't said a word, shook his head. "I'll go and find Pansy, Greg and Millie and let them know you're going, but I have some work to do. I might join you later on."

"Okay," Hermione replied with a smile. She was trying very hard to be kind to Draco at the moment.

"Before you all go," Theo said, clearing his throat and causing everyone to stop at the door, "since Draco isn't coming with us, I wanted to say something while we're all here, in case we don't see each other before we go home for the holidays."

Hermione's stomach twisted. She and Theo hadn't discussed the holidays yet, mainly because she'd been focusing so hard on revision – and she'd been trying not to ask about it and what their plans were, so she didn't appear to be too clingy or bossy or any of those other things she didn't want to be. It seemed, then, that he planned to go home this time. She'd need to figure out what she was going to do.

"Ginny and Blaise aren't here," Luna pointed out.

"I'll catch up with Blaise later," Theo replied, "in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if those two are already down at the lake in any case. But, anyway, what I wanted to say," he suddenly got a little bit awkward, and his eyes shifted to Hermione, but then the moment passed, "is, on the last day of the holidays we could throw a party at Nott Manor. Just for our little group, plus Greg, Pansy and Millie if they want to come. I thought it'd be nice to have a get-together outside of school for once, and since my house is empty until further notice, it's the perfect place for us to hang out."

"Sounds brilliant," Seamus said enthusiastically, and Neville nodded. "We could all get on the Hogwarts Express together the next morning."

"That's what I thought," Theo replied with a smile, seemingly relieved that they liked his plan. "I'll get some food and music organized, it'll be a fun night."

"That's sorted, then," Draco said with his hand on the doorknob. "I'll tell Pansy, Greg and Millie when I find them. I'm sure they'll want to come along."

"Great. I'll pass the message along to Blaise, then, and then we're all good," Theo said with a grin. The others departed, chatting about the prospect of the party and who could get their swimming gear from their dormitories quicker; then the door closed and Hermione was left with Theo, alone in the room.

She didn't know what to think about the party. It would be fun, of course, and she fully intended to go, but did that mean that Theo was going to be at Nott Manor the whole week? Did he have something planned to do there? She remembered from Christmas that he'd said he hated going back to a house with so many bad memories and being alone in it. Maybe he was overseeing a new interior designer or something, to make it feel different by the time he left Hogwarts? She didn't know. She also didn't know if that meant he didn't want to see her or was going to be busy over Easter, and as much as she hated being so dependent on him, it made her insides twist to think she wouldn't see him for a week.

He seemed to notice her nervousness and came over, taking her hand gently. "Sorry, I know it's a lot to spring on you, staying at the Manor and everything," he murmured, his soft black hair touching her forehead as he drew circles on her hand. "I hope it's okay?"

"Of course, it's going to be a great night," Hermione replied, hoping it didn't sound too forced. "I'll look forward to it. Just wondering what I'm going to do with myself until then, really," she added weakly at the end, plans for perhaps taking a holiday somewhere already whirling around her head.

"What?" Theo asked confusedly. "Oh," he smacked a hand to his forehead, "I didn't- I wasn't clear, sorry. Of course I meant that I wanted _you – us –_ to stay at the Manor for Easter. Merlin, you didn't think I'd go back to that place by myself, did you? I couldn't handle it for a second without you."

Something inside Hermione burst into a happy bubble at his words, all the nauseous writhing sensations gone in an instant. "I thought you were going to be busy or something – I didn't know – didn't want to presume…"

Theo laughed softly and kissed her. "When it comes to me, _always_ presume, love. I told you, I'm a Slytherin and now I'm your Slytherin. It's not so easy to get rid of us. Unless I specifically say so, assume you are included in every single place I go or event I plan, and I hope I could assume the same."

Hermione nodded. There's nowhere she'd want to go that she wouldn't want to bring Theo, at this stage. Even the Burrow – if Blaise was welcome there, Theo should be, too. "You can."

"Settled, then," Theo replied, and leaned in for a longer kiss. His tongue brushed against hers gently and she closed her eyes as she tasted him, languid and slow, enjoying the sensation. He sighed into the kiss and she brushed her hands through his hair and down the back of his neck, then broke away from him to kiss a trail along his jaw. His fingers tightened their grip on her waist and he moaned gently; she found herself reacting and had to hastily stop, reluctantly pulling away and sternly reminding herself that they were still in a public classroom.

"I love you," Theo said sincerely, looking straight into her eyes, and she had never before felt so secure, so desired. He made her feel the way she'd always hoped love would be like, the way she'd never thought she would after her failed relationship with Ron.

"Shall we head down to the lake?" she asked with a smile. "If we stay up here much longer they'll assume we were doing much more than talking."

"Well now, there's an idea…" Theo grinned teasingly as he kissed her, and she laughed as she pulled away. "Alright. Let's go and enjoy the sunshine. I've got to stop off at Slytherin and grab my trunks, meet you in the entrance hall?"

"I might as well come with you," Hermione replied with a shrug as they left the classroom, "I'm not going back to the Tower to fetch anything. I'll just sit by the shore and read."

"Wait, you're not swimming?" Theo looked disappointed. His eyes dropped like those of a hurt puppy. "I was hoping to see you in a two-piece…"

"Well, you can see me in much less later on, if that's all it is," Hermione winked, showing him her lacy bra strap and dancing away as he tried to grab her. "Later on!"

"I'll hold you to that," he laughed as they rounded the corner into the dungeons.

"I'll need to spend a lot of tonight packing, I'm warning you now," Hermione replied. "I'm meticulous, I'll have to make sure everything is neat and ordered and that I have enough for the week."

"As if I didn't already know that," Theo responded as he held open the common room door for her. "But honestly you won't need much. I have a huge library full of books, and there will be plenty to do getting the place ready for the party."

"Clothes?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow as she stepped through the door of the dorm room and made her way to sit down on Theo's bed. She'd been here enough times since revealing their relationship to Draco that nobody remotely cared about her presence anymore, though the pair tried not to stay the night too often – rubbing it in Draco's face like that didn't sit well with either of them.

"Oh, you won't need those," Theo replied mischievously, drawing his swimming trunks out of his bedside table and pulling his trousers off. "I plan to have you naked for approximately 90% of your stay. Of course, I will be too, or it wouldn't be fair, don't worry about that."

"Don't you have house-elves? I don't know how comfortable I'd be walking around in front of them," Hermione replied, blushing. Walking around naked was not something she'd ever done or felt like she would be confident doing.

"Nah," Theo replied as he pulled up his trunks, "I let them all go after I got the Manor. Didn't seem reasonable to keep them all there doing nothing while I was at school and it was empty. Thought they'd be better off doing whatever they wanted to do."

The casual way he spoke as he talked about letting go of his house-elves, and the knowledge that despite being from a pureblood background he no longer owned any, nor felt the need to, had Hermione remembering all over again why she'd fallen in love with him. She was sure she could walk around with no clothes on, for him, if that's what he really wanted. She'd do anything for him.

On a whim, she rested her hand on Theo's arm as he made to leave the dorm room. He raised an eyebrow at her and she grinned suggestively and laid back on his bed.

"They can wait five more minutes, don't you think?"

Twenty minutes later, they emerged from the castle entrance and headed down to the lake. Their friends were already there – Ginny, Seamus, Luna and Pansy sunbathing while Blaise, Neville, Millicent and Goyle threw a ball around in the water. Theo threw his shirt off and launched himself into the lake, landing with a splash which drenched Blaise, and Hermione laughed and took up a spot next to Ginny in the sunshine. The redhead didn't even look at her, but mumbled a hello in her sleepy, warm state.

The next few hours passed in blissful peace. Hermione observed her friends having fun in the water and thought about how far they'd come over this school year. Romantic attachments aside, it had been unthinkable that Gryffindors and Slytherins could ever coexist like this, and yet here they were, Goyle dunking Seamus's head under the water, Neville and Millie watching on and laughing, while Pansy chatted absently to Ginny about the coming party at Theo's. She'd always just stuck with Ron and Harry over the years, and although she was happy to have such dear friends in her life, she'd never had the experience of being part of a wider friendship group before – and it felt great.

Before long, some other students began filtering out of the castle and coming to join them. Dean and Parvati were among the first to arrive, Dean pushing an unsuspecting Seamus from his comfortable sunbathing spot right into the water. Parvati calmly took his place with a nod to Pansy while Seamus furiously chased Dean around the shore. Then, Padma came and sat quietly by Hermione, taking out a book of her own. Soon enough, the Hufflepuffs cautiously joined them – Ernie and Justin sitting a little further away, watching the group with interest, and Hannah Abbot cheerily coming to sit by Hermione and Padma. Even Draco, despite what he'd said earlier, ventured out just before the sun went down and sat down by Pansy without a word.

It had taken a long time, Hermione thought, to get them to this stage – but as she looked out over the assembled group, chatting and enjoying themselves as the sun began to set – they'd finally managed to really achieve it. There were no house differences here, purebloods or Mudbloods or anger or prejudice. This was Hogwarts as it should have been. She only hoped that this would carry on after they'd left – that the younger students would see it, and want to emulate it, instead of holding onto the mistakes of the past as humans were so often wont to do. As a dripping wet Theo pulled himself out of the lake and came up to give her a very cold kiss, she couldn't remember being more content.

The next day, they barely saw anyone, the morning was too hectic. All the younger students were flocking about, chatter was everywhere and it was difficult to see anyone amongst the crowds. Hermione caught a glimpse of Millie's head as she departed with Goyle, thanks to the both of them being so tall, but she couldn't see any of her other friends in the throng. Theo pulled her hand and they pushed their way through to the carriages, breathing a sigh of relief when they found one empty.

"I swear there are more students here than ever before," Theo said irritably, brushing his har back and adjusting his sleeves. "It's like a swarm. I don't remember there being anywhere near this many of us when we were kids."

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe there are more. Or maybe you've become a grouchy git in your old age."

"Who said I wasn't always?" he retorted with a smile, and leaned back as the carriage began to move. Hermione took the moment of calm to just observe him, his casual open shirt, his relaxed smile and his slim frame, long legs crossed at the ankle as he put his arms behind his head. "See something you like?" he teased.

"A lot of things, actually," she remarked. "Mostly the fine black leather interior, but the cushioning on the seats is divine, wouldn't you agree?"

She laughed as Theo reached across and tried to push her off her seat.

The journey on the Hogwarts Express was long and uneventful. They had been unable to locate any of their friends throughout – "Are they even on this bloody train?!" – so after a while, Hermione had bought herself and Theo some Cauldron Cakes from the trolley and ducked into the nearest carriage, where they'd eaten themselves into a comfortable doze. When the train arrived in London, they were both jolted awake and quickly found their way onto the platform.

"Alright, we're Apparating there, so just hold my hand and don't think too strongly of anything. I know that's hard for you," Theo joked as he took her hand gently. "Ready? One – two – three."

On three, Hermione closed her eyes and followed Theo into the familiar tug of Apparition. She tried to empty her mind and focus only on the feeling of his hand. A moment later, she felt her feet hit the ground and opened her eyes to see a magnificent mansion.

She'd expected it to look somewhat like Malfoy Manor, the only experience she'd had with pureblood houses, but it was radically different. Where the Malfoys' home was all statues and Gothic architecture, Nott Manor was much more open, looking almost Roman in design with pillars at the front entrance and a clean, marble porch. It was just as vast and from what she could see, the surrounding grounds extended for miles, but it felt more warm to her in a way she couldn't describe.

"Well, here's home," Theo said with a bitter note in his voice. "I always hated the sight of this place."

"Then let's work to fix that, shall we?" Hermione replied, turning his head to face her and kissing his lips gently. "It's beautiful."

"You're beautiful," he answered, staring deep into her eyes. "Can I just look at you instead?"

Hermione giggled and kissed him again, languidly, feeling him wrap her up in his arms. She was determined to make Theo love this place again – but for now, there was something else on her mind. She tugged at him insistently and before long they were through the doors, making their way up the grand marble staircase and into the left wing, which Theo mumblingly explained in between kisses was his part of the house. Hermione barely took in the sight of his bedroom when they crashed through the door, instead focusing solely on the huge, four-poster bed with silken black bedsheets and pulling her boyfriend down on top of it.

"Can't – believe – this is happening," Theo said breathlessly as he pulled away and began to hurriedly divest himself of his shirt. "We're in my room, and I'm about to make love to Hermione Granger. Fourteen-year-old Theo would've wet himself."

Hermione stifled a laugh as she burrowed under the warm covers. "I hope eighteen-year-old Theo won't. Not that I wouldn't still find you sexy, but it might ruin the mood a little."

"Noted," he replied and joined her, mostly naked, wrapping her up in his arms and kissing her once again, fiercely, with passion. "I love you, Hermione."

"And I love you, Theo," she replied, trying to pour meaning into every syllable. She'd keep repeating it forever, if he'd let her – but the minute his fingers found her, her breath was stolen away. In just the few short weeks they'd been doing this, he'd learned every inch of her body, what she liked and what she didn't, and last time he'd been able to give her two orgasms. He was a natural.

She reached down and began to stroke him gently, eliciting a soft moan, as Theo buried his head in her shoulder and kissed his way up her collarbone. His feather-light touches sent shivers all the way up her spine and she curled her other hand in his dark hair, clinging to him as his fingers increased in velocity and brought her very close to the edge. She tried to focus on him, on her hand caressing his length, but it was too much and before long she felt her climax wash over her.

Before she could adequately recover, Theo had rolled on top of her, on all fours with his body looming over her, his hands either side of her face. He was dominant and oh-so- _masculine,_ his hair messed up and his face red from the heat. She could feel his pulsing, warm erection touching her thigh, and without any warning, with a sudden thrust, it was inside her. Hermione still hadn't caught up from her first orgasm before he was pounding into her relentlessly, and all she could do was hold onto his shoulders and kiss him like she was drowning and he was air. The sensations were intensified by her sensitive clit and before long she felt another, familiar ball of heat building up to her second release.

"Mmh- Theo!" she heard the words before she knew she was even speaking, and his pace increased as he began to thrust erratically, like he always did just before he was about to come. A second, even stronger wave of pleasure thundered through her, the buzzing in her ears increasing tenfold, and she felt Theo collapse on top of her, breathing heavily, and held him close as she rode out the end of the wave. "That was fantastic," she uttered.

"Yeah, I'd say so," he replied, with a tired smile and a gentle kiss. He rolled off of her and over onto his back, and Hermione curled up with her head on his chest. "I'm really getting better at that, wouldn't you say?"

"I think we both are," she responded, nuzzling his side. "By the way, this bed's so comfortable," she commented, and felt the rumble as he laughed.

"You'd better get used to it," he said, "I hope you'll be spending a lot more time sleeping here in the future."

"Oh yeah?" Hermione felt her heart beat faster. It felt like something was about to happen – Theo's tone had shifted from contentment to seriousness.

"Well, I was going to wait until after the party, but – I suppose now's as good a time as any, really," Theo said, and sat up slightly, his heavy breathing beginning to recede as he recovered. He looked at her seriously, his dark eyes full of uncertainty. "I was hoping that maybe after school's over, you'd come and live here with me."

Hermione went into momentary shock. Living with Theo? They already spent every spare minute they could together, and slept in each other's beds most nights…it wouldn't really be all that different, except it would be _theirs. Their_ house, _their_ bed, _their_ lives. And in an instant, her worries about seeing him in the future, if he became a teacher, melted away – Nott Manor was surely on the list of residences which would allow a Floo route into the castle. He could fulfil his dream, and they could still be together…the pieces were all suddenly falling into place.

"If you don't want to, that's fine," Theo said quickly. It seemed she'd taken too long to respond, and the uncertainty that had been lingering in his eyes had turned into full-blown disappointment. "It was just an idea, if you think it's too soon then I'm fine with that too, I just-"

Hermione stopped him with a finger on his lips. "It just took me by surprise, that's all. Of course I want to live with you, Theo. I'd love that. I was just thinking – and it's silly, it's stupid – I was worried, before, about what we'd do if you became a teacher at Hogwarts. About how I'd be able to find a way to visit you – because it's not the easiest place to get into. I thought about all these things a long time ago and I just didn't realise you were thinking about us, too."

"Of course I am," his voice was passionate as he spoke past her finger. She removed it and he carried on. "I've dreamed of a future with you for years. Now it's becoming real, and I don't want to let you go, no matter what career paths we choose. I thought that if you stayed here this week, we could redecorate a bit – change it so it isn't my parents' house anymore, it's mine. And if you liked it, and you had a hand in saying how it was done, that afterwards I'd ask you if you wanted to live here too. You'd be able to visit me at Hogwarts, or I could Floo home every night, and it'd be ours – all ours."

His gaze was so fervent and his deep voice was full of hope and feeling. Hermione didn't think she could love this man any more. "That sounds absolutely amazing. Thinking of the future with you, and making it all real – it's such an exciting prospect. I love you so much." Looking around the room, she added, "Although I don't know what I'm going to do with all this space, it's enormous."

"Fill it with books, knowing you," Theo replied with a smile, and she nudged him affectionately, then melted into another slow and passionate kiss. "Thank you for making me so happy."


	12. Chapter 12

It was the night of the party, and Hermione was in full-on Organization Mode.

Theo had taken a step back once he'd realized just how much she took control. She'd told him that it was easier to let her get on with it and do everything her own way than to try and help, because that only ended up taking longer when she ended up redoing whatever it was he'd just finished doing. In her defence, the place looked absolutely spectacular, the old and previously dusty ballroom now bedecked with bright chandeliers, beautifully painted walls and a shimmering dance floor enchanted to look like ice. There were sculptures and statues made from ice, some of which Theo recognized as characters from poems or novels, and others which were alien to him. A bar had been erected at the far end of the room with magical goblets which refilled themselves, and beside it was a raised stage with enchanted instruments which would play the entire night. The whole thing would be more than worthy of a pureblooded gala thrown by Narcissa Malfoy, and that was certainly saying something – Hermione had a knack for this.

"You know there's only going to be about ten people here," Theo said, gesturing at the grandeur as Hermione fixated on attempting to fix a broken sconce with her wand. "You didn't have to go all-out."

"I want this to be special," she replied, not looking at him, firmly pulling at the sconce to check her reparations. "It might be just a gathering of our close friends but it's also a chance to celebrate everything we've achieved this year, you know? And I think it merits at least a little effort."

Theo leaned in and kissed the top of her head. "You've done a fantastic job."

"Doing. Not past tense yet," she answered, pulling out of his grasp, her eyes fixed on the ceiling as she noticed a hanging spiderweb and promptly Vanished it.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Theo asked, looking around at the impeccably perfect space and wondering what constituted a stupid question. Hermione took a beat to turn and smile at him, and he knew she was trying to be patient.

"Just go and get dressed," she replied, "everyone will be arriving pretty soon."

Theo nodded, bowed briefly in mockery and departed, and Hermione stuck her tongue out in his direction and focused once again on her task. She'd really wanted everything to be perfect, so she'd spent a good part of the last week going over all the main thoroughfares in the house, dusting, cleaning and reorganizing. It was too early to do any kind of real restoration or change too much, but she felt like she'd spent a very productive week making the manor presentable. Theo, and his father before him, had not exactly been sticklers for presentation, so she'd had her work cut out for her.

Nott Manor had turned out to be much more palatable than Theo had made it sound. Memories of the Malfoys' home still haunted her, and she'd worried about what would happen if the architecture was similar. It turned out she needn't have worried at all, as Nott Manor was thoroughly different inside and out. The grounds were much bigger, but not as well maintained as the meticulously arranged flowerbeds Narcissa Malfoy had cultivated. The house was in a Roman style, very open with marble floors and ceilings and plenty of light and space. It had been thoroughly neglected, but given a little time and a lot of work, Hermione thought it had great potential to be a beautiful home once again.

Theo reappeared just as she finished lighting the last of the enchanted candles and stood back to survey her work. She walked over and took his hands – he looked breathtaking in a sleek set of dress robes obviously tailored to fit. A brief memory of Ron's maroon monstrosity from fourth year floated through her head, and she had to push it away to stop herself from laughing. Theo's dress robes were the exact opposite – beautiful flowing silk, in a satin black colour that shimmered almost silver when he moved. It set off his messy black hair and brought out his sparkling eyes, making him look more handsome than ever. Hermione couldn't believe she'd spent seven years in the same school as this man without ever really seeing him – now, she found it impossible to tear her eyes away.

"Haven't worn them in a while, so they might need to be resized a bit…" Theo offered, inspecting his sleeve with some scrutiny. "Do you think it looks alright?"

Unable to speak, Hermione nodded, a slow smile spreading over her face as her eyes swept across him. She stepped into his arms and pressed a long, sultry kiss to his lips. "I'm so glad you're mine," she whispered, and brought her forehead to his. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

They were interrupted by the loud, grand echo of the doorbell, followed by the musical instruments starting up as the clock turned nine. Hermione looked up at Theo, who raised his eyebrows. "This is it, then. Ready?"

"Yeah, I think so," she replied, taking a last look around the ballroom and twining her hand into his, and together they swung open the grand door.

Behind it waited Blaise and Ginny, hand in hand, Blaise in an extravagant set of robes and Ginny a brightly coloured evening dress, and Pansy, Goyle and Millie, in subdued colours and looking as if they were trying to hide behind their friends. Hermione was reminded of the first time they had invited the Slytherins to a party and they'd come in very anxious and awkward. Just as she had then, Pansy muscled past them all and headed straight for the alcohol – but the other four stepped in, looking around the grand entrance with wide eyes.

"Whew, you've done this place up nicely," Blaise commented, "it looked awful last time I was here."

"All Hermione's doing," Theo said, holding his hands up. "The woman's a machine. She's got really big plans for this place, apparently – I get to just sit back and watch it all happen."

"That's Hermione," Ginny said, and Hermione huffed indignantly. "He's right, though, you've done an insane job on this place," she added, and the brunette smiled.

"Come on in, everyone," she said, and showed them into the main ballroom behind her.

"Holy crap," Blaise exclaimed, and Ginny simply stared. "You got all this together in a week?"

"Well, it wasn't too hard," Hermione replied, blushing. "I just had to do a few enchantments and some basic Transfiguration…"

"Please, organize every single ball my mother asks me to host in future," Blaise begged her, and to her surprise, Goyle spoke up from behind him. "Yeah, me too. This is incredible."

"Thanks, Goyle," Hermione replied, as Theo wrapped an arm around her waist proudly.

"I think it's probably about time you called me Greg," he said with a grin. "Everyone else does."

"Greg, then," she said, and smiled back at him.

Just then, the doorbell went again, and Hermione was forced to leave her guests to fend for themselves. Theo detached himself from her and went to get drinks with Blaise and Ginny, so she headed to the door alone. It felt strange, walking in such a nice outfit to the door of a grand pureblood manor and thinking she was the hostess – soon, this would be her house. It was all very new to her, but she loved the idea of holding many more parties like this one. She'd always loved being a hostess, as it gave her control over the proceedings, but it had been difficult in her parents' house when they were Muggles and her friends magical. She couldn't wait to show her parents her new home – if and when they got their memories back. She tried not to dwell on that, but it was always at the back of her mind.

"Evening, Granger," drawled Malfoy as she opened the door. He was dressed impeccably and had brought a bottle of fine champagne with him, which he offered her with a bow.

"Draco," she said politely, taking the bottle, and stepped back to allow him to pass. "Glad you could make it."

He raised an eyebrow and stepped inside. "This place used to look like shit. Good job with it."

"Thanks. It took all week, but I've been trying hard."

"You should fix up the Manor when you're done. That still looks like shit."

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond to that, and it all still felt a little awkward, being alone together, so with a polite nod Draco swiftly made his way into the ballroom to find the others while Hermione headed to the kitchen to drop off the bottle. She'd set the spell in there, so all she had to do was pour the champagne into one of the enchanted containers and the goblets at the bar would fill up on their own. It was a neat little charm she'd found that had proven very useful, though it had taken her a whole day to get it strong enough to last the night.

Not long later, Seamus and Neville arrived wearing matching silk ties – and they'd brought Dean, Parvati and Padma with them. Hermione didn't mind, of course, but she'd thought it would only be their small circle of friends, so she hurried to inform Theo that their little gathering might not actually end up being so little. If anyone else in their group had happened to tell, then they might have more guests than they'd bargained for. Theo, luckily, shrugged and said the more the merrier – it wasn't like they were short for space, after all.

The pragmatic side of Hermione which longed for order with all things at all times was screaming at the sudden change, but she determinedly shut it down. It was a party, and she was going to enjoy it. The doorbell went off again and Hermione went to answer, praying it was Luna and nobody else.

Her prayers were half-answered. She opened the door and Luna drifted past her, smiling sweetly and wearing the most ridiculous hat she'd ever seen. It was like a metal detector on top of her head. Hermione let her pass without comment and, distracted by the hat, almost closed the door before realizing there were two more people behind it.

"May we come in?"

She knew that voice. With delight, she turned to see a familiar head of black hair and a redhead with an apologetic grin awaiting her. Immediately, she schooled her face into an I'm-cross-with-you-Ron look. She wouldn't let him off easily, not after he'd been so angry for so long.

"Of course you may, Harry. I'm so happy to see you!" She stepped in front of Ron as he tried to follow Harry inside. "Ronald, I'd like a word with you."

"Look, 'Mione…" Ron began, shuffling his toes and looking awkwardly at the floor, "I know I went off the handle a bit. I'm sorry. It's taken me a while to get used to you dating a Slytherin, that's all. But I'll be good from now on, I swear. If you like the git then there must be something about him."

"I'm glad to hear that you trust my judgment, but there can't be any more of these outbursts," Hermione said, putting her hand on Ron's arm. "I love you and I want us all to be friends, but it's really hard when you keep going off on me like that."

"I'm working on it, 'Mione," Ron promised, and just like that, they were hugging and it was all forgotten. Harry looked on happily and braced himself as Hermione hugged him tightly too.

"So how did you guys find out about tonight? Did Ginny tell you?" Hermione asked, waving them indoors.

"No, actually, Luna did," Harry replied, looking up at the arched ceiling with interest. "She said she owed me one from inviting her to the Slug Club that one time, and Ron wanted to come along and apologise anyway, so we figured it'd be okay. It's okay, right?"

"Of course it is!" Hermione replied, just as Theo came hurrying out of the ballroom, looking around curiously.

"There you are," he said with relief, and came over, registering Harry and Ron's presence with surprise and then caution. "Evening, Potter, Weasley. Are you here to join the festivities?"

"Theo. Please, it's Harry, and we would be delighted, if you'll have us," Harry said, and held out his hand. Theo looked gobsmacked but took it and shook it firmly. "Sorry to just drop in like this."

"Not at all. I suspect Hermione is very happy to see you," Theo remarked smoothly. Hermione put her arm around his waist and held him close, and he grinned at her. "I was just coming to look for you, you'd been gone a while. Now I can see why."

"Nott – er – Theo," Ron began, clearing his throat. "I'm – well, I'm sure you've heard from Hermione that I've been a bit of a git, and I wanted to say I'm sorry. It's all a bit new for me, this inter-House stuff, and I know that's no excuse but it's still strange to think of you two together, and I flew off the handle and shouldn't have, and now I'm rambling…"

"It's okay," Theo held up his hands. "I get it. We didn't hang out for years, there were some pretty strong differences and now that's kind of hard to let go of. It's still weird for me some days, too. I still feel shocked every day that Hermione and I are together – but it's not something that's going to change, so we'll all have a long time to get used to it."

Hermione beamed, and Ron cracked a smile, even as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"With that over, shall we have a dance?" Theo asked, and Hermione nodded vigorously and led the way for the four of them into the ballroom.

It seemed they had no more uninvited guests, and the night progressed entirely as Hermione had hoped. Couples danced (including Millie and Greg, who, judging by his hand on her hip, seemed to have finally gotten the hint that she liked him), the musical instruments kept playing without a hitch, Theo chatted with Harry, Ron and Blaise at the bar, and even Pansy and Draco looked like they were having a little fun, albeit they'd both imbibed copious amounts of alcohol. At one point, Pansy approached Hermione with a drunken stumble, put a hand on her shoulder and said, "You throw a good bash, Granger, I'll give you that. You might not be the worst person to hang around with after all."

"Uh, thanks?" Hermione replied, and Pansy belched and staggered off again without another word.

Just after that little occurrence, Hermione's thoughts about whether she should find something for Pansy to eat were interrupted by a whirlwind of red hair as Ginny grabbed her arm. "We're going somewhere private. Now." Before she could protest, she found herself dragged away from the ballroom and into the corridor that led to the kitchen.

"Blaise and I are going to get married. Tonight," Ginny announced, her face flush with excitement.

At first, Hermione didn't quite understand those words in that order. When she'd had a second to process the actual sentence that had come out of her best friend's mouth, her face adopted an expression of shock and bewilderment. "What?!"

"Tonight. Look around you, it's beautiful what you've done here, we couldn't ask for a better set-up for it," Ginny reeled off, her hands waving wildly as she spoke. "There's dancing, and music, and drinks and all our best friends. Mum will kill me for not inviting her, of course, but honestly she was always going to make a bigger deal out of my wedding than I wanted anyway. She'll get over it."

"Wh-OK, let's go back to the beginning here," Hermione said placatingly, wondering if she'd somehow missed something along the way. "First: when did you decide to get _married_?"

"About twenty minutes ago," Ginny replied breathlessly. "We were dancing and I mentioned this felt like some crazy high-society wedding reception, and Blaise said what if it was _our_ crazy high-society wedding reception, and I asked what the fuck he meant, and he said getting married was what the fuck he meant and was I up for it, and I said damn straight I'm up for it, so he said, right then Weasley, you're on, we're doing this – then we snogged for a while – and then I came to find you."

"That sounds – romantic," Hermione forced out, with a pained expression. She knew how headstrong the younger girl could be and she didn't want to push the wrong buttons here. "Look, Gin, you said yourself you barely know Blaise, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Hermione," Ginny said, and put her hands on Hermione's arms, looking at her with serious eyes. "I know Blaise and I haven't been together long, and I know I don't really know him all that well. I couldn't tell you what his favourite food is, or what his mother's called, or where he likes to go on holiday."

"So don't you agree that this seems a little fast?"

"But that's the point," Ginny said, stressing every word. "Our relationship has been fast from the get-go. I know I love him, and we have great fun together and a really good connection – both psychological and sexual. The tiny little details, the likes and dislikes and quirks, those we'll discover about each other along the line. What matters is that I fundamentally know Blaise's character and he knows mine, and it feels right to be together. This is just another step in our awesome relationship and I'm ready to take it."

Hermione found herself blown away by the force of the redhead's words. She smiled weakly – although her brain could come up with a thousand reasons why her friend shouldn't do this right now, it wouldn't help because her mind was made up, and honestly, a part of her really loved what Ginny was saying. The idea of finding your soulmate and just taking a leap because you wanted to, and you could, was at its heart an incredibly romantic thing, and Hermione couldn't fault Ginny for taking that risk.

"I'm only going to ask you one more time, Ginny. Are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely sure," she replied with a huge grin. "This is happening. I'm so excited."

"I'm excited too," Hermione confessed, and she really was. Now that the shock and confusion had given way to, 'well, it's Ginny's life and she'll do what she wants', Hermione felt happy for her friend, and full of excitement that her little ball had turned into so much more. "But let's hold on here for a second. How do wizarding weddings work? Don't you need a marriage licence, or someone to officiate? How are we going to organize that?"

"What's a marriage licence?" Ginny asked, confused.

"It's something Muggles have," Hermione explained, wondering how best to communicate its purpose. "It's like – a document saying that you're allowed to get married, that they've checked the records and you're not married to anyone else or anything."

Ginny burst out laughing. "Muggles! What on earth will they think of next – a piece of paper saying I'm allowed to get married?! There's definitely no such thing for wizards. You just – do it, do the spell – and if it doesn't work then that's how you know someone's already married."

"Well, alright then," Hermione shrugged. "What about a minister? Someone to marry you?"

"That's where we're lucky," Ginny said, her eyes shining. "A long time ago, it was written into magical law that the families of the Sacred Twenty-Eight could officiate their own weddings, because there were plenty of would-be assassinations and other stuff back in the day that came with the big open affairs. Some of the families just wanted peace and quiet in a small place, and so they forced through this passage that says it'll be official if another member of the family does it. So, because the Weasleys are Sacred Twenty-Eight, and he luckily gatecrashed your party, Ron can do it for us!"

"You think Ron will agree to that?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He will if he doesn't want to be on the receiving end of one of my Bat-Bogey hexes," Ginny replied curtly. "He owes me about a thousand favours anyway so I'll call them all in. He'll agree, it'll be fine."

"So – what else do we need, then?" Hermione asked. "Dress, cake, flowers…?"

Ginny waved a hand dismissively. "I don't care about any of that shit. Just me and Blaise, and someone to marry us – and if you'll agree, I want you to be my bridesmaid, and act as a witness."

"Of course I will," Hermione replied, taking Ginny's hand. It was beginning to hit her that her friend was actually about to do this. "I can't believe – this is insane."

"I know, it's brilliant," Ginny replied, grinning. "Come on, let's go and find the groom, who should hopefully have managed to sober up his best-man-to-be by now."

"Draco?" Hermione asked, and Ginny nodded. They left the darkened corridor and entered the main ballroom once again, the sound of soft music and laughter filling their ears. Hermione felt almost giddy. It was Ginny's wedding day. On reflection, she thought her best friend had been right – Molly would go absolutely round the bend once she found out her only daughter had gotten married without her. Thankfully, her train of thought was interrupted by the appearance of Blaise and a very cynical-looking Draco. Blaise bounced up beside them and gave Ginny a kiss on the cheek.

"We all set?" he asked, with a wink at Hermione. "Pretty exciting, isn't it?"

"It's certainly that," she replied with a helpless smile and a laugh. "I guess your relationship has been wild from the start, so why not keep it that way?"

"See? She gets it," Blaise said, nudging Draco with his elbow.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't do it," Draco said, holding his hands up placatingly and shaking his head. "Just asking why, of all people, it has to be a Weasley. You know your kids will have red hair, right? That's not going to be a good look with olive skin."

"Rude," Ginny sniffed with a hint of humour in her voice, "I'm right here, you know. Anyway, at least our kids won't be pasty pale with a stick up their ass."

Blaise snorted, and Draco raised an eyebrow good-naturedly. "At least she's feisty, I'll give you that, Blaise." Then he turned his attention to Hermione. "You can't seriously think this is a good idea, Granger? You?"

Hermione shrugged. "They'll do what they want. I learned it's best not to argue with Ginny a long time ago. Besides, she gave me some pretty good reasons. I'd advise you just to sit back, watch the fireworks and be happy for them."

"Well, if it's got the Granger seal of approval I'll shut up about it," Draco said, and crossed his arms, looking around the room. "Where's that ginger twat who's going to marry them, then?"

"Don't call Ron that," Hermione bristled, her old instincts rising to the surface as she defended her friend from Draco's barbs.

"No, Hermione, he's right, that about sums him up," Ginny answered, scanning the room. "There! He's talking to Luna at the back. I'll go and fetch him."

"I've changed my mind about this," Draco announced after she'd hurried off. "I like her."

Hermione scoffed, and the three of them turned to watch the show that was no doubt about to occur when Ginny told Ron of her plans.

"What's happening over here?" an innocent voice manifested beside them, and arms snaked themselves around Hermione's waist. She smiled and leaned back into Theo's touch. "What are we all looking at?"

"You'll see in about – ooh, four seconds," Hermione replied, just as Ron's face began to go red, and sure enough the shout reverberated across the room just a couple of seconds later.

"MARRIED? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"And there it is," she said in a matter-of-fact tone, turning from the scene to look up at Theo behind her as the whole hall fell silent of chatter, the soft music the only backdrop to Ron's rising temper. He looked utterly dumbstruck by the proceedings, and the neck of his robes was slightly askew. Hermione tidied it for him as he gazed down at her in shock.

"What – did you – when?" Theo's eyes moved from Hermione to Blaise to Draco, all of whom watched him with amused expressions. "Since when?"

Blaise looked at his watch. "Since around half an hour ago, pal. Thought the moment seemed right so, why not?"

"I mean – should I list the reasons, or…?" Theo sputtered, looking back down at Hermione for support, but she shrugged.

"I've been there, said it, done it. They aren't changing their minds," she reasoned with her boyfriend. "Just be happy for them. They know what they're doing."

Theo gaped wordlessly at her, and back at Blaise. "I never thought you'd turn out like your mum, Blaise."

"I don't intend to," he replied, straightening his robes as he prepared to walk over to where the confrontation had now grown to include a crowd of several people. "This one's fast, true, but I've got a feeling it's going to stick, or I wouldn't be doing it. Besides, didn't you ask Hermione to move in with you this week? Seems to me you're being a little hypocritical there, Theo."

"You know, he's right," Hermione said, watching Blaise as he left the three of them and strode off to break up the argument between his future bride and her brother. Theo smiled down at her guiltily and she giggled. "We can't exactly talk, we've moved as fast as they have."

"You're moving into Nott Manor?" Draco's voice sounded almost broken behind her. Hermione cursed her thoughtlessness and turned to face him – his expression was defiant, but she could see the hurt behind it.

"Shit, Draco – mate, I'm sorry, I didn't think Blaise would just come out and say it like that," Theo said, running his hand through his hair agitatedly. "I was going to sit down and tell you properly this time, man to man. It only happened a few days ago."

"It's alright," the blonde said, shaking his head. "Just give me a moment to gather my thoughts, would you? Call me when the wedding's about to happen." With that, he muscled past the both of them and fled the scene as quickly as his Malfoy pride would allow.

"Well, now I feel awful," Hermione said, her eyes downcast. "I didn't even think about the fact that he was right there…"

Theo sighed. "Nothing we can do about it. Honestly, there's always going to be situations like this when he's hanging around with us, but it's on him to decide if he can handle it or not. We can't feel bad for Draco's sake about every development our relationship takes."

"You're right," Hermione replied, and sank back into his arms, reveling in the feel of his soft robes and warm touch around her. Theo placed a gentle kiss on her head. "I can't wait to move in for real."

"Me neither," he replied, "this week has been utterly fantastic. I love you."

"Love you, Theodore Nott," Hermione replied, and leaned up to kiss him, meeting his lips and running her hands through his gorgeous, thick hair. He responded eagerly, pulling her to him by the waist and playfully nipping at her lip, deepening the kiss. Neither of them noticed Neville approaching awkwardly from the other side of the room.

"I hate to break this up, but it looks like you're wanted over at the – well, at the fight," he said, and the pair of them jumped apart, smoothing down their clothes in embarrassment. Neville smirked. "You both look great. Come on."

"I don't get it!" Ron was whining as they approached. "Why a Slytherin? Why him?"

Ginny and Blaise stood on the left, his arm around her. Harry warily watched from the sidelines, ready to step in and pull Ron back if necessary, and Ron himself was red-faced and confrontational, but to his credit hadn't yet stomped out of the room.

"Because I love him, you troglodyte," Ginny replied forcefully, "not that that's something you'd understand."

"I've been in love!" Ron protested. "Doesn't mean I understand whatever the hell this is – I'm still sure Zabini's tricking you somehow, and I don't want to marry my baby sister off to a snake!"

"Well, if you won't do it, three things will happen," Ginny said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms and leaning back towards Blaise, who looked surprisingly passive in the face of Ron's insults. She lifted a hand and counted on her fingers. "One, I'll hex you into next week right here, right now. Two, I'll never defend you to Mum for anything you do ever again. And three, I'll go straight to the shop with Blaise tomorrow and get George to do it anyway, so all you'll accomplish is delaying this for one evening, and forcing us to have to do it in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes instead of Theo and Hermione's gorgeous ball."

Ron's face slowly purpled while he searched for words, aware all eyes were on him. Hermione was sure he saw the reason in Ginny's argument and he knew better than anyone else that she'd do what she wanted regardless. He just had to decide whether he was going to be a part of it, or whether he wanted to foist the task off to George instead – because without a doubt, George would agree, and they both knew it. Eventually, with a pained sigh, he closed his eyes.

"I don't like this. But I'll do it, on the condition you don't breathe a word to Mum that I did it, deal?"

Ginny squealed and clapped. "Yes! Yes, deal. Thanks, Ron!"

"Doesn't mean I approve. Or that I like you, Zabini," he added quickly, as his sister engulfed him in a hug. "But Merlin knows I don't want my sister's wedding to be held next to the Puking Pastilles shelf."

Blaise nodded with a faint smirk and turned to the rest of their friends, who were all gathered, most with expressions of shock or delight. "Well, there you have it – you've all been invited to our wedding, which will take place in about, ooh, three minutes up on that stage by the bar." All of them aside from Pansy clapped heartily, and Seamus whistled. He frowned and scanned the crowd. "Where's my best man got to?"

"He stepped out for some air. I'll fetch him," Theo offered, with a look at Hermione that said 'I've got this'. Hermione squeezed his hand and let him head out the way Draco had gone, silently willing him on. She felt awful for how their conduct had affected him, particularly because she still felt like his hurt was her fault for getting involved with him in the first place, and she hoped that Theo would be able to assuage his pain a little.

The newly chattering group of friends headed over towards the stage, and Ginny led a disgruntled Ron by the hand after them. Hermione was proud of Ron's conduct – although he'd had a temper tantrum, he'd recovered quickly and had actually seen reason while angry, which in the past would have been impossible for him. She was pleased to see he had meant what he said when he told her he was working on managing his temper.

Harry lingered behind the crowd a little. Concerned, Hermione stepped over to him as the rest of their friends began to move the instruments aside and set up the stage. "Hey. Are you alright?"

"Yes. No. Sort of," Harry replied, half-frowning. "You ever feel like you're in a dream, even though you know perfectly well it's reality?"

"I think I know the feeling," Hermione replied, putting a comforting hand on his arm. "Are you still in love with her?"

"Merlin, no," Harry exclaimed, shaking his head. "It's not that. It's just – she really grabs life by the balls, you know? She goes after what she wants and she takes it, doesn't matter what anyone else says. I'm standing here watching my ex-girlfriend have a spontaneous wedding to a Slytherin, and my life hasn't changed at all since the end of the war. It's just making me think."

"I know what you mean," Hermione sighed. "Her zest for life makes all of us look like slugs in comparison. But to be fair, she's certainly found her match in Blaise. He seems to keep up with her better than anyone else I've ever seen."

"Do you ever think you should be doing something different?" Harry asked, his voice faraway. "Ginny just – she gets what she wants, because she goes for it. Do you think all of us are capable of that – being spontaneous, and just telling life what we want?"

Hermione considered her answer carefully. "Yes and no," she finally responded in a measured tone. "All of us are capable of spontaneity, but it doesn't always work out for the best. Look at me and Malfoy. With that said, though, and being totally honest, we're eighteen and we've just come through a war. Who's to say what's the best way to live our lives? Every day through last year could've been our last. At the end of the day, if there's something you really want, you should reach for it." Harry's frown deepened, and she continued earnestly. "I've done things this year that I never thought I'd be brave enough to do. I messed up badly when it comes to Malfoy, but I was trying to do what I thought would make me happy. And as ill-advised as that whole thing was, it led to me discovering what I really wanted, which was Theo. Now he means more to me than I can even rightly express, and I'm moving in with him come summer and starting to plan our lives together. So even if you're taking a risk, doing something nobody expects – who knows what your mistakes could lead to?"

Harry's eyes focused back on her, and he smiled. "Thanks, Hermione. I'm really glad we're friends."

"Me too," she replied, and gave him a quick hug.

"By the way, did you say you're living here now?" he asked as they broke apart, and she grinned. "Yeah. Theo asked me a few days ago. Do you think I'll make a good lady of the manor?"

"I think you'll finally have space to store all your books," Harry answered with a grin, and Hermione punched him on the arm, deciding not to tell him that Theo had said almost the same thing. She viewed owning a lot of books as a very good thing, and privately she thought Nott Manor would be greatly improved with the additions she'd make to its library.

"We're starting!" called Ginny, and with a final glance at Harry, Hermione headed over to the stage, pleased to see Theo and Draco talking as they entered from the corridor. Perhaps, she thought as she took her place behind Ginny, things were finally starting to work themselves out.

"Alright, I really don't want to do this so I'm keeping it short," Ron said curtly, holding Ginny's hand out in front of him. She stuck her tongue out at her brother, but didn't push her luck, probably aware that he was already on the edge of just walking out. "Zabini, take my sister's hand, would you?"

"Gladly," Blaise said in his smoothest Italian tone, and gently took Ginny's hand in his own. Hermione could see the purest admiration and love in his eyes as he looked at her and had to concede that despite her initial reaction, this thing really might have a shot at working. She grinned at Theo, watching from the front of the crowd, and was surprised to see his eyes fixed firmly on her, instead of the bride and groom. His handsome features curved into a smile when he saw her looking, and she still struggled to believe that this man was _hers._ He made everything worth it.

"So – I guess now I just cast the spell?" Ron asked.

"First you have to conjure the ribbon, Weasley," Draco said, making no effort to hide his disdain for Ron. "Here, I doubt your Transfiguration skills are up to the task." He swept his wand in an arc and a length of silver silk ribbon cascaded from the end of it. He handed it to the redhead, who scowled and snatched it out of his hand without a word. Blaise shot a warning look at his best man, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"Right. So I loop it like this – over and then – Ginny, could you stop giving me the finger while I'm trying to tie this, please – alright. _Matrimonius."_ Ron waved his wand, and the silk ribbon lit up in a beautiful glow from which the entire party had to shield their eyes. The glow gradually faded away, and the ribbon burnt up with it, a handful of shimmering ashes falling to the floor.

"Congratulations. Man and wife, or whatever," Ron said, looking like the words made him want to be sick, then stepped off the stage immediately. Ginny and Blaise paid him no mind, though, already engaged in a thoroughly extravagant kiss. Hermione clapped, as did Draco, and the assembled crowd.

Finally, Ginny and Blaise broke apart, and Ginny turned to her friends. "Right, now that's done – let's turn this into a real party!" She waved her wand and the instruments started up a snappy, rhythmic tune, then jumped down from the stage, followed by her new husband onto the dance floor. Hermione mumbled a quick incantation to refill everyone's goblets with the expensive champagne Draco had brought with him, then raised her own.

"To Ginny and Blaise!" she called out, and everyone except Ron, who had promptly disappeared, raised their cups and drank. Then, feeling slightly giddy, she too stepped down into the waiting arms of a grinning Theo, and together they made their way onto the dance floor beside the newlyweds. Hermione was slightly worried about Ron, but she knew that his anger stemmed only from resentment towards the Slytherins, and with a little time to himself to cool off he would be much more reasonable. For now, it was best to leave him be.

For the next few hours, dancing and drinking were the order of the night. Hermione's instruments continued to play into the early hours of the morning, though the music slowed and became much more soft and somber than the bouncy tunes they'd had at the start. The room was dotted with couples dancing, people resting their feet and in Luna's case, she'd actually gone to sleep, conjuring a giant blanket and pillow in the corner where she lay next to her metal-detector hat. Theo and Hermione had spent a long time on the dance floor, holding each other and swaying blissfully, almost completely unaware of anyone or anything else in the room.


	13. Chapter 13

Draco was sitting over by the bar, watching the pair of them dancing next to Ginny and Blaise. He was very happy for his friends, but it came with a bitter sense of reality; that from here on out, it was very unlikely that Hermione would ever be his. He'd come to accept that over the past few weeks, of course, but it was difficult when the object of his desires for the last seven years had so thoroughly rejected him, in favour of the friend he never really even considered a threat.

He finished his ninth goblet of the evening and sullenly watched it refill in his hand. It was very difficult to accept that, as a Malfoy, he'd lost to a Nott. That wasn't the way it was supposed to go. As hard as it would be getting over her, it was even harder recognizing that everything as he saw it had changed. Blaise was married to a Weasley now. Theo and Granger would probably not be far behind them, judging by the starry-eyed gazes between them and the speed with which he'd asked her to become lady of his manor. Even Greg and Millie had finally noticed each other. He shook his head and gulped down half of the new drink in one go. Where was his place, in this new world the others had created?

"Evening," came a voice to his left, and he turned with equal amounts of surprise and disdain to see Potter occupying the seat beside him. He looked about as crap as Draco felt. He nodded cordially, which realistically was more than Potter deserved, and went back to his drink, hoping that the Golden Boy would handle his own issues in peace for once. It didn't seem like that would be the case, though, as he opened his mouth once again, and Draco set his jaw and forced himself to be polite. "What are you drinking?"

"Firewhiskey," he replied shortly, hoping that would somehow, miraculously, be all Potter wanted to say.

"Oh. I've always been more of a Butterbeer man myself," Potter commented, and Draco held in check his instinct to scoff, as that would only give the other man more of a reason to carry on talking. Potter sighed and leaned in closer. "Look, Malfoy, I know you're in pretty bad shape over Hermione. I get it. I mean, my ex-girlfriend got married out there tonight." As usual with Gryffindors, it was straight in and on-the-nose, but thoroughly unwanted, compassion. "If you want to talk, then…"

"Then it certainly won't be with you," Draco cut him off curtly.

"Who, then? Blaise? Theo? Goyle? Doesn't seem to me like you've got many options," Potter replied, and for once Draco had to concede that the Boy Wonder had a point. "Just wanted to say that I'm here, you know. Hermione's friends with you now, and she thinks you're actually not a twat, so if I can help, I want to."

"Fuck off, Potter," Draco retorted, but he didn't. He just sat there with the same expression on his face. Draco sighed. "What do you want from me? Tell me, and then go away."

Potter's expression changed then, his eyes narrowing. "You know what, fuck this, I'm going to come right out and say it," he said, straightening up and looking Draco dead in the eye. "You're an absolute dickhead. You've treated all of us like shit for years, and even in this new inter-House thing they've managed to cultivate, you're prickly and unfriendly and don't care to join in."

"I'll thank you to shut the fuck up when you don't have a clue what you're talking about," Draco found himself saying, his hand curling into a fist around his goblet. Stupid fucking Potter.

"I know you're in deep for Hermione and that you hate that she's with Nott right now. That's not changing, so you need to find a way to get over her, especially if you're going to remain a part of this friendship group that's forming because the Slytherins aren't going to pander to you forever, Malfoy. You'll be out on your own if you don't sort your shit out."

"Oh? And what makes Saint Potter think he knows a single fucking thing about me?" Draco asked in a mocking tone, his hand shaking, fully aware that every word that had come out of his rival's mouth was unassailably true.

Potter smiled at him in a sad sort of way and ran a hand through the mop he called hair. "You relied on me in the Forest during detention in First Year, so I know you don't think I'm totally incapable. I know you love to fly and you live for Quidditch just like I do. You reached for my hand when in the Room of Requirement during the battle, so I know you understand compassion. You didn't give us up to Bellatrix and you let us escape with your wand, so I know you never really supported Voldemort. And you lowered your wand, Malfoy. Say what you want, but when push came to shove, you couldn't kill Dumbledore. Despite everything you project to the rest of the world, I've been your rival for eight years, I've seen you at your best and your worst, and I know more about you than I think you care to admit."

Draco didn't reply, angry that Potter had him pegged even a little. He hadn't thought about all the times they'd been thrown together over the years, had forgotten Potter had been there when he'd faced Dumbledore on the rooftop. He'd never forgotten that he owed Potter his life, but he didn't like to be reminded of that fact. He scowled into his drink. Where was Golden Boy even going with this tirade?

Potter sighed and Draco felt like something big was coming. "Look, I'm going out on a limb here, Malfoy. I don't like you, and you don't like me. But all our friends are pairing up and we're going to be seeing a lot more of each other, so –" he paused here and took a deep breath, seeming to summon courage from somewhere, "do you want to get over Hermione with me?"

At first, Draco didn't understand the question. "You fucking what, Potter? You fancy Granger? Come off it, I know that isn't true."

"No, you misunderstand," he said, shaking his head, and a blush appeared across his cheeks. "For as long as you've been into Hermione, I've – well – I've sort of been into you."

 _What the fuck?_

He barreled on before Draco could collect his thoughts. "I put it to the back of my head for so many years, because, well – first off, I didn't want everyone to know I was bi – and secondly because you're you and I'm me. It's laughable. It's beyond a fucking joke. But tonight my ex-girlfriend, a Weasley, married Blaise Zabini, and in this strange new place we've found ourselves I can't help but wonder if there's a chance. I'm putting it out there and taking a risk. Entirely physical, you understand, because I don't like you as a person and I know you sure as hell don't like me. So before you scoff and dismiss me, consider that to get over Hermione, perhaps you need something – someone – completely different. I want to be your coping mechanism, because I might be what you need. There's something in it for me, too, of course – I don't know why you keep me up at night, I don't know why I want you so badly, and if I scratch that itch then maybe it'll go away."

Potter finally stopped talking, and Draco took a second to try and figure out what the fuck he'd just heard coming out of Scarhead's mouth. Potter _fancied_ him? And not only did Potter fancy him, but Potter had the fucking nerve to come up and _proposition_ him with some sort of enemies-with-benefits arrangement? Merlin, the very thought made him shudder. He tried very hard to cull his temper, because shouting at Potter right now wouldn't be a good look, and met the other man's eyes.

"Thanks for your consideration, Potter," he spat sarcastically, "but the only part you got right there was that I sure as hell don't like you. I'm going to inform you that I'm not gay, and even if I were, you are the literal last person on earth I'd ever want to fuck. So please, kindly fuck off and don't ever speak to me again."

Despite his chilling rejection, Potter didn't seem concerned in the least. He simply shrugged and tilted his head. "Your loss, Malfoy. It seemed crazy to me too, honestly, but I'm glad I at least took the chance and asked. Have a….night." At a loss for more words, finally, Potter vacated his seat and went to rejoin the rest of the group on the dance floor.

Draco continued to sit at the bar, infuriated, for some time after. What right did Potter have to come and proposition him like that? How dare he come into his private space, reserved for drinking and wallowing, and bring up some sick arrangement when, by the way, Draco was _absolutely not gay,_ and the world and his wife knew that he hated Potter with a vengeance. It wasn't even about his father or his beliefs or anything else – Potter had embarrassed him in first year when he didn't take his hand, and as petty as it might seem, since then every single thing the Scarhead did had touched the wrong nerve. He couldn't stand him.

While he was convulsing deep in his thoughts about how much he disliked Potter, someone approached and sat down beside him. Seething, believing it was Potter come back again to haunt him, Draco turned to tell them to fuck off and stopped short with his mouth open when he saw it was Hermione.

"Granger," he choked out instead, and looked back into his drink.

"Hi, Draco," she replied, and he still couldn't stand the feelings that came from hearing his first name coming out of her mouth, but he didn't have the heart to tell her not to use it. "I saw Harry speaking to you earlier. Have you two finally buried the hatchet?"

"Fuck that," Draco replied hastily. "I will dislike Potter until the day after I die. Even longer."

"What were you two talking about then?" Hermione questioned, and Draco had to force himself not to gag at the thought. He thought that having another person know, though, might help to affirm his belief that he was not, in fact, going insane, and perhaps Hermione would be able to help keep Potter thirty feet away from him at all times.

"Potter _propositioned_ me," Draco spat, swigging his drink heavily and glaring at it. "He came up here and started babbling on about Dumbledore or Quidditch or whatever the fuck it is that comes out of his mouth, and then out of nowhere he told me he fancied me and asked me if I wanted to fuck him. I told him to fuck off and never come back, and he did."

Hermione's eyebrows rose in surprise. Draco didn't know if she'd been aware of Potter's sexuality or not, but he was sure as hell that any amount of what he'd just said would have been enough to elicit that reaction. "Well – I can't say I saw it coming, but it makes sense. He always was a little obsessed with you in school," she commented, and Draco's stomach turned at the thought. "He was asking me earlier about taking risks and going after what you wanted. I guess this is what he meant."

"You don't have anything more to say than that? I'm in fucking trauma here," Draco pointed out, and Hermione giggled, which caused him to raise an eyebrow.

"Well," she said, "I'm just saying what I see here, so don't shoot the messenger. You've been sullen and sad all evening, for understandable reasons, but it's still a shame to see Draco Malfoy that way." She indicated one of the Indian twins, who was sitting alone across the room, sipping from her goblet. "Padma has been staring at you for the majority of the night, and you haven't even noticed. But Harry comes over and speaks to you for ten minutes and you're more fired up than I've seen you in months. It's just something to think about, that's all."

"Alright. Now you can fuck off too, you're on my list," Draco said, and Hermione laughed and winked at him before leaving. He turned back to his drink, angry and confused. What Hermione had said was true, but that didn't mean he would ever entertain the thought of _fucking Potter._ It was beyond disgusting. The only reason he was so passionate about it was because of how much he hated him.

Hermione left Draco and returned to the dance floor. She'd known that Harry was bisexual for a while – they'd had a lot of deep heart-to-hearts in the tent while on the run – but he'd never mentioned to her, even then, that he had any kind of romantic feelings for Malfoy. Well, she could understand, she mused. Draco was a very good-looking man, and it was difficult not to notice that. His personality had, for her, been an issue for a very long time, and she supposed that was why Harry had been so reluctant to admit his attraction. Now, though, he was very slowly becoming the sort of person they could actually hang around with, and on top of that, from what she could discern from Draco's coarse words it sounded like Harry hadn't wanted anything more than a physical relationship. Privately, she thought it might be a good thing for both of them, but she was aware that it would take a lot for Draco to come around.

As she rejoined Theo, Blaise, Neville, Seamus and Ginny on the dance floor, Hermione cast her gaze back towards the bar to see Draco had slunk away. She hoped he would be able to figure out what he wanted – even if it wasn't Harry, to have a goal again, something to motivate him, would really help to pull him out of the depressing place he had found himself in. Hermione handed Theo his drink and smiled as he turned to her.

"Everything okay? Saw you talking to Draco over there for quite a while," he questioned, and Hermione shrugged. She didn't feel like the things Draco had told her should be spread around to everyone – maybe she'd tell just Theo later, but she wasn't going to say it in the middle of the ballroom.

"He's a bit drunker than I'd like, I was just making sure he wasn't going to topple over," she lied, and Theo laughed, relief showing on his face.

"I wouldn't worry. Malfoy can hold his liquor better than any of us when he wants to," he reassured her, and placed his hand around her waist, drawing her in for another dance. Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder and allowed herself to sway to the music, letting all thoughts of Draco pour away and enjoying the last moments of what had been an absolutely incredible evening.

Some time later, the music had finally died away, and a few other people had begun to join Luna, conjuring blankets and mattresses and tents and curling up in various spots around the ballroom. Hermione had prepared all the guest rooms, of which there were plenty, but it seemed that many of her friends had imbibed too much alcohol to even consider attempting the stairs, and preferred to drunkenly crawl inside bedding of their own creation and pass out.

Theo was exhausted, so Hermione allowed him to go up to bed as she cleared away the final remnants of the bar. She still felt quite awake, and she didn't fancy having to do it in the morning before they all left for school, so being as careful as she could not to wake anyone, she crept around the dark ballroom tidying and cleaning all their mess up. She had a new appreciation for the work house-elves did as she carefully stepped over the corner of a tent by the bar, trying very hard not to stumble into it.

"'Mione?" came a voice from inside, and she cursed.

"Sorry, Ron, I didn't mean to wake you," she whispered, leaning down to the tent flap. "Just cleaning up the room a little."

"You didn't," came the morose reply. "I can't really sleep anyway."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione offered, thinking longingly of her comfortable bed and warm boyfriend waiting upstairs, but knowing that Ron had had a very rough night all told, and he probably needed a friend to talk to right now. Speaking of, where was Harry? "Is Harry in there too?"

"No," Ron replied as she crawled into the very spacious tent, "I haven't seen him since the wedding ceremony. I still can't believe that actually happened."

"Well," Hermione reasoned, making herself comfortable on some pillows and pulling off her high shoes, "that's Ginny, we all know what she's like. She makes her mind up about something and she'll go for it whether other people are on board or not."

"Did you think it was a good idea? Really, honestly?" Ron asked her, his tired eyes wide and questioning.

Hermione sighed. "At first, no. Not at all – I was completely shocked as I'm sure you can imagine. But after hearing Ginny's side of it, honestly, I could see it. They're happy together, and they've been like this from the beginning – honestly, you haven't seen them at school, it's frankly amazing how much time they manage to spend snogging." Ron grimaced at that thought but let her keep talking. "Everything about them is fiery and full of excitement and passion and 'what's next', you know," she continued, "and I think this was actually a pretty natural next step for them, albeit in any normal relationship it'd be far too quick. It'll make them burn hotter for a while, and even if they don't last then they'll be happy they did it regardless."

"Still seems like a pretty stupid thing to do," Ron grumbled, but Hermione could tell he saw the strength of her argument. "I'm glad I don't have to be the one to tell Mum. She's going to go ballistic."

"Yeah, I don't envy Ginny that part," Hermione grinned, and Ron smiled back at her, and for a moment it was like everything was back to normal between them, just like it had been before the war. A beat passed, though, and then Ron spoke again.

"Do you envy her getting married, then?" His tone was curious and somewhat loaded.

"Yes and no," Hermione responded, thinking about it. "Getting married is a huge commitment and it's not something I'd step into lightly – I'm a traditionalist that way – so a wedding like the one Ginny just had is definitely not my style. But with that said, I've thought about it a few times now, and sometime in the future when we're older and more established, I know I definitely want to marry Theo."

"You're really that in love with him?" Ron asked, without a hint of bitterness, only wonder.

"Yeah," she replied, blushing and shrugging. "We fit. I can't really explain it any better."

Ron smiled crookedly. "I'm happy for you, 'Mione. Even if it is with a Slytherin. If I'm being completely honest, Theo isn't that bad for a snake, and neither is Blaise. At least neither of you ended up dating Malfoy, that would've been too much."

"You should get to know him, you know," Hermione said with a smile, getting up and beginning to leave. She chose not to share with Ron the information she'd got from Draco earlier on. "He's really not all that bad now. Still a git, but a much more bearable one."

"Yeah, I'll believe that when George's ear grows back," Ron said with a snort, and Hermione giggled. "'Night. See you in the morning."

"Yeah, goodnight," Hermione replied and left the tent, happy that she'd been able to have a real conversation with Ron tonight. She was worried after the dramatics of the ceremony that he wouldn't have calmed down enough, but his attempts to manage his anger seemed to really be working. Maybe they'd soon be able to all be proper friends, laughing and joking in a big group with Harry and Ron included, she thought wistfully as she crossed the room, putting out the final candle by the entrance as she left.

A scuffling noise from the corridor adjoining the entrance hall made her stiffen, and slowly, she crept over to investigate with her wand out. She didn't think anything harmful could make it past Theo's wards, but after the war, her instincts had been to always have her wand out in such a situation. Careful not to make a sound, she padded lightly over the hall and poked her head around the corner to see what was going on – then drew back hastily, with a hand over her mouth, and quickly scurried away.

Harry and Draco were pinned up against the wall, thoroughly engaged in a heavy kiss, and judging by the state of their undress it looked like they were about to get _very_ physical. Hermione didn't need to see any more than that eyeful, and she crept away upstairs and into hers and Theo's bedroom, desperately trying to think of a way to unsee Harry's backside.

"Everything alright?" Theo asked sleepily as she climbed in next to him and wrapped herself around his warm back.

"Yep," she said, deciding now would not be the best moment to divulge anything. "Everything's great."

Theo sighed contentedly, and as she snuggled into the covers, Hermione's last thought was that despite her wishing she'd never witnessed it, she was extremely happy that Draco had taken her advice.


	14. Chapter 14

Graduation Day. It was finally, finally upon them. For seven years, Hermione had worked hard for this exact moment. She let the feeling of relief and happiness flow through her, relaxing against Theo's shoulder as they all sat together in the Slytherin common room after the official ceremony. It was over – it was done. Her education was complete. Tomorrow, they'd be leaving Hogwarts for good.

"I can't believe it," Ginny voiced for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "We're actually never coming back here again."

"Crazy, isn't it?" Seamus agreed, staring out of the window into the Black Lake.

"Well, speak for yourself," Neville said, glowing with pride. Seamus grinned, happy for his boyfriend, and Ginny laughed. Neville had been accepted as the new Herbology teacher following Professor Sprout's announced retirement this year, a position he'd coveted since discovering his talent for the subject and which had been confirmed only this afternoon as the professor had approached him herself to tell him he'd got the position.

"Alright, the non-nerds are never coming back here again," Ginny corrected herself, and a wave of laughter rippled around the group.

"Except me," Hermione spoke up, raising a hand, "complete nerd over here, not returning."

"I agree with the 'complete nerd' part," Draco said languidly from his position on the opposite sofa. "One thing I will not miss is the stick up your ass in lessons, Granger."

"Oh! Oh! Professor McGonagall, it's just like it says on Page 172, Paragraph 4 of the Standard Book of Spells Volume Six," Blaise stuck up his hand and jumped up and down like a crazed monkey, and even Hermione had to laugh at the ridiculous impression.

"No, no, she never shouts out," Seamus said, "it's more like this, at least in Snape's class." He shot his hand up in the air, made a pained expression and danced about in a circle as if he was desperate for the toilet.

"Say what you like, Seamus," Hermione countered playfully, "but at least I didn't blow up my cauldron every single lesson and have – ooh, what was it – four hundred and sixty-two detentions in total?"

"Four hundred and sixty-three, Filch gave me one earlier for dropping a farewell Dungbomb in his office," Seamus responded proudly, "and actually, I'm late for it, so I'd better hustle."

The group collectively laughed as Seamus kissed Neville on the cheek and headed out of the portrait hole. Hermione let out a deep sigh. This was what it had all come down to, in the end, and as Theo's fingers gently stroked her arm, she was incredibly happy that things had turned out as they had.

After the ball, they'd returned to her revision schedule and everyone had, to her surprise, actually knuckled down and done their work. For the last few weeks, they'd had scheduled study sessions which had actually been very effective, and she would forever take credit for the fact that with her help and guidance, even Gregory Goyle had managed to pass his NEWTs. He'd broken down and hugged her in a very un-Greg-like way upon receiving the results, claiming he'd never really thought he would do it.

She hadn't spoken to Draco once about what she'd witnessed in the corridor, and it seemed he wasn't about to say anything either, so she let it be for now. None of them had seen Harry or Ron since the ball, as both Aurors had been out on a mission for the last month, and she suspected that there would be more answers about the nature of their relationship further along the road – if there even _was_ a relationship to answer for. In the meantime, she didn't want to stir the pot. Let them be whatever they were in private, and if and when they were ready to tell, she'd be ready to congratulate them.

Since Valentine's Day, she'd had no word yet on the state of her parents' memory reconstruction but Theo assured her that the process would take some time, and that they would probably have an update by the end of the summer. She was excited about the prospect, especially because she'd be able to face them again with pride once she'd had a chance to find herself a job and renovate Nott Manor into the beautiful place she had imagined in her mind's eye.

"You looking forward to coming home tomorrow?" Theo asked in her ear, and Hermione leaned back into him and smiled.

"I can't wait," she confessed, "we have all summer to decorate it properly and make it our own."

"Am I going to have a say in it as well, then?" Theo asked, feigning surprise, and Hermione hit him lightly with a short laugh.

"Not if you mock me you won't," she teased.

Just then, there was a knock on the door and everyone stilled and exchanged glances. If it was a Slytherin they could come right on in, and if it wasn't, what could they want? Perhaps Seamus had returned after finding out his detention was cancelled? Confused, Blaise stood up and walked over to the portrait hole, opening it and peering out.

"Hello Professor, can I help you?" he asked politely.

"Yes, hello, Mr Zabini," came McGonagall's stern voice from the other side of the door. "Could you send Mr. Nott and Mr. Malfoy out, please? I'd like a word with the two of them."

Theo's eyes widened in fear, and he looked over at Draco who merely shrugged. Theo extricated himself from Hermione on the sofa and vaulted the back, joining the blonde who'd gotten up off the sofa and walking over to where Blaise watched them from over his shoulder as he held the door for the Professor.

"Good, thank you. Both of you, come with me, if you please," McGonagall's clipped tone left no room for argument. Draco slouched uninterestedly after her, and with a final worried glance at his friends, Theo followed suit. Blaise whistled in a low tone as he headed back to his place by the fire.

"Well, I wonder what that's about?" he asked, looking round the room. "Did they cheat or something?"

"No way," Hermione spoke up instantly. "Theo wouldn't do that, and let's be honest here, Draco doesn't need to, he's about as smart as I am when he actually tries. It's got to be something else. Maybe their results were counted wrong?"

"Maybe it's to do with Death Eater stuff," Ginny proposed, and everyone turned to look at her in surprise. "What? Both their fathers were pretty high up. I'm not saying anything against them, they're my friends, but out of everyone else in the room, it was only those two that were called in."

"We don't know that," Hermione countered, "Professor McGonagall doesn't know we're in here. She could have gone to Gryffindor looking for us, or asked for any number of Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs at their common rooms. Besides, wasn't Greg's dad a Death Eater as well?"

"Yeah," Goyle said gloomily, and Millie rubbed his arm in comfort.

Ginny shrugged. "Never mind, then. Bad theory."

"We'll just have to wait and see, I suppose," Neville remarked, shrugging, and sat down at the low table. "Anyone want a game of Exploding Snap?"

While the others played, Hermione opted out and sat on the sofa worrying about Theo. What if it was something bad? What if they'd found out – something – that both of their fathers were involved in during the war that might tarnish their reputations or be a cause for concern? The professor had sounded pretty serious. She couldn't take her mind off it, and ended up staring off into the Black Lake, tense and worried.

"Loosen up, Granger," came a voice from her left, and she looked over to see Pansy sitting down beside her. The girl looked uninterested and snobbish as usual, but Hermione knew this was her way of trying to offer some comfort. "They'll be back and they'll be fine."

"Yeah, I know," she replied, "I just hope it's not anything too bad."

"Trust me," Pansy answered, looking at her fingernails, "if it were to do with Death Eater stuff, McGonagall would've dragged at least me and Greg in there as well. She also probably wouldn't have let them graduate publicly. Just chill for a minute, I don't know how Theo copes with you being so wound up all the time."

"He's learned to deal with it," Hermione replied self-deprecatingly, with a small smile.

Pansy snorted. "There's the spirit, Granger."

They remained in the common room for the next few hours. Seamus returned from his detention smelling strongly of cleaning fluid and immediately blew himself up upon joining in the games of Exploding Snap. There was a definite tense undercurrent due to the absence of their friends, but Hermione forced herself to ignore it and concentrate on a book instead. They'd be back, just like Pansy had said. She couldn't do anything about it but wait.

After what felt like an eternity, the portrait hole opened and Theo and Draco appeared, both looking tired and fairly passive. Hermione squealed, dropping her book, and leapt across the room to engulf Theo in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her as Draco edged past them with a mock-revolted expression and padded back over to his sofa.

"What happened?!" Ginny asked eagerly, all eyes on Draco as he flopped back down. Hermione released Theo and waited with bated breath.

"Nothing important," Draco replied flippantly, and the whole room collectively let out a breath.

"Theo?" Hermione asked, pressing, and her boyfriend looked down at the floor and then back up with a grin.

"I've been offered the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts," he announced, and Hermione had to hold back another excited squeal. "McGonagall sat me down and spoke to me sternly about my reputation and my OWL results, but she said she and the rest of the staff have seen such a marked improvement this year in both my attitude and my grades, that they agreed my application would be approved – and that my first-hand experience would be an asset rather than a detriment. I'll be starting in September."

"I'm so proud of you," Hermione breathed, and kissed him fiercely, aware that everyone's eyes were on them but not caring one bit. "I can't believe it, you did it!"

"It's all thanks to you, honestly," he said, shaking his head and staring joyously into her eyes. "No way I could have pulled back those grades without your study schedule, and you were the one who told me to take the extra class – and honestly, the one who gave us all a chance at having a proper social life again. One hundred percent of this is down to you, and I can't thank you enough for it."

"It's not, it's all you, Theo," Hermione stroked his cheek with her hand and he leant into it. "I may have given you a chance and a push but you did this all yourself and you should be so proud of it."

Theo smiled and leaned down to kiss her once again.

"So why was Draco called in, then?" Blaise asked quizzically, turning his head away from the occupied pair to his blonde friend lounging on the sofa.

"She offered me Potions. I turned it down," Draco replied simply, seeming totally uninterested.

"Why?" Pansy questioned, her eyebrows furrowed. "You're really good at Potions and you've been wanting something to do that'll get you out of the Manor."

Draco only seemed annoyed at the query. "Because I don't need her approval or her recognition. This is all a result of some bullshit idea she's got in her head that we want a chance to prove ourselves. As far as I'm concerned, I don't want anyone giving me a job because of who I am, or who my father was, or because they think I need some sort of redemption. I know I'm a talented potioneer and I can easily find a job elsewhere, some country where people don't know me, and I won't have to deal with the constant crap of being stared at every day, by both my fellow faculty members and the students I'd be teaching."

Draco's tirade brought the mood of the whole room down, and Theo broke away from Hermione, looking at the floor. "You know, Draco, I still think you should take it. You know I'd be there too. We'd be in it together – as much as you say you hate the thought of it, it'll be the same for me."

"So don't take it either," Draco sniffed. "Nobody said you had to."

"I want to!" Theo burst out, frustration written all over his face. "Look, I didn't want to say anything in McGonagall's office, but this is a brilliant opportunity for you and you're looking a gift horse in the mouth. Don't you think after a year or two of being Hogwarts' Potions master, with their kids going home and saying how great Professor Malfoy is, that people will begin to look at you differently? Running away from your problems won't solve them, but working towards something to change your family's image will. Don't you think your mother would hate to think you're running off to another country? McGonagall is giving you the best chance you'll have in Britain and you should take it if you know what's good for you."

"You really have learned to dish it out, haven't you, Theo," Draco replied, his flippant expression still in place. "Last year you'd never have spoken to me like that."

"I've learned that you're a pompous prick who needs to be told that he's cutting his nose off to spite his face sometimes," Theo countered, but without any real venom in his tone. "Look, the others will agree with me, this is the best opportunity you'll get. And you don't have to do it forever. A year or two would really help to restore the Malfoy name – and it's not just about you, but your mother too."

"I have to say, he's right, Draco," Pansy piped up. "You know I don't disagree with you often, but on this point, you're being an idiot. Take the damn job." Blaise fervently nodded his head.

"Et tu, Brute?" Draco asked in a mocking manner. "Look, I'm not going to make this decision right now. I'll go and speak to McGonagall tomorrow morning and hear her out properly before I turn her down. Is that good enough for you all?"

"As long as you don't turn her down for the wrong reasons," Hermione said pointedly. "Those being pride or idiocy."

"Noted, thank you, Granger," Draco said, inclining his head towards her. "Now will someone deal me into this game?"

"Aren't we going to dinner? I'm starving," announced Neville, and right on cue Goyle's stomach rumbled loudly.

"I could fetch us some food," Hermione offered. "I think it'd be nice to eat all together here in the common room, for the last time at Hogwarts."

" _Our_ common room," Draco said snarkily. "Don't know when you lot adopted it, but it's become too noisy in here far too often recently."

"That sounds like a great idea," Ginny answered, ignoring Draco completely. "Do you want some help carrying it from the Great Hall?"

"It's no problem, I'm not going to the Great Hall," Hermione replied with a small grin. "Theo can help me, he knows where we're going – we went there at Christmas to fetch snacks."

"Oh, you are _not_ going to the kitchens without me," Ginny scrambled up indignantly, "Fred and George teased me for years about knowing where that place is! I have to know before we leave forever!"

"The kitchens?" Draco's curiosity was piqued. "If I'm potentially going to become a faculty member I should know where the entrance is. I'm coming along too."

Before long, and with plenty of exasperation on Hermione's part, the entire group headed together out of the portrait hole and towards the fruit painting. Theo laughed at her consternation. "Humour them today, we probably won't see them for a while," he reminded her, and she relented. Upon seeing the horde of young adults pouring into their kitchens, the house-elves were beyond excited and fell over to serve them as much food as they could possibly carry. With plenty of bowing and flapping ears, they came away with trays upon trays of hot, mouthwatering roast dinner and plenty of drinks, desserts and snacks.

It didn't take long to get everything set up in the Slytherin common room, and surrounded by mountains of delicious food and plenty of laughter, all eleven of the unlikely friends – Draco, Blaise, Theo, Pansy, Greg, Millie, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Seamus, and Luna – raised a goblet to their final day at Hogwarts, and to facing the future together, whatever it may bring.


End file.
